The controversial early access game The Day Before has seen its player count drop by nearly 90% in just four days, and it has also joined Steam’s list of the top 10 worst-reviewed games ever.
Data from player tracking website SteamDB shows that The Day Before peaked at 38,104 concurrent users at launch on December 7, but as of the time of writing four days later, that number has fallen to 4,125. That’s a decrease of 89%.
The number saw a sharp drop on December 8, but unusually, there was also a slight decline over the weekend. Games typically launch during the week and peak in player count the following weekend, when more people have time to play.
The Strange Saga of The Day Before
The Final Fantasy VII Remake launched on Steam on Friday, December 8, and, for example, reached 200,677 concurrent players, but then grew to 221,396 and 242,619 on Saturday and Sunday. They saw the opposite effect with The Day Before, peaking at 9,319 concurrent players on Saturday and 7,690 on Sunday.
Among the many complaints, users on Reddit have also claimed that they have requested refunds after alleged broken promises from developer Fntastic. In a survey with 968 votes at the time of writing, players were asked if they had kept The Day Before or refunded it. 150 said they were keeping it, while 818 requested a refund.
Player feedback on The Day Before’s Steam page is otherwise clear, where the game has received an “overwhelmingly negative” rating and only 20% of users recommend it. This has led it to join Steam’s list of the top 10 worst-reviewed games by users ever, where it currently sits in ninth place. Three Kingdoms: Total War tops the list, followed by Overwatch 2, NBA 2K24, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction, Identity, Yuri’s Revenge, Spacebase DF-9, The Day Before, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2 in 10th.
The Day Before has been surrounded by controversy for some time, but the post-launch reaction is perhaps the worst that Fntastic has seen. Players have criticized the game for not being the open-world survival MMO that was promised, but rather a simple extraction shooter.
Its launch as an early access title was only revealed a month prior, in November 2023; otherwise, players were expecting a full release on PC and consoles. This came after several other delays, allegations of copying other games more than once, and a beta that was only accessible to people who participated in unpaid work for Fntastic.
The Day Before, a controversial early access game, has seen its player count drop by nearly 90% in just four days. It has also joined Steam’s list of the top 10 worst-reviewed games ever.
Data from SteamDB shows that The Day Before peaked at 38,104 concurrent users at launch on December 7, but as of the time of writing on December 11, that number has fallen to 4,125. That’s a decrease of 89%.
The number saw a sharp drop on December 8, but unusually, there was also a slight decline over the weekend. Games typically launch during the week and peak in player count the following weekend, when more people have time to play.
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The Day Before’s Troubled Launch
The Day Before has been surrounded by controversy for some time. It was originally announced as a full release but was later revealed to be an early access title. It was also delayed several times, and there were allegations that it was copying other games.
Player Feedback
Player feedback on Steam is overwhelmingly negative. Only 20% of players recommend the game. Many players have complained that the game is not what was promised. They say that it is not an open-world survival MMO but rather a simple extraction shooter.
Conclusion
The Day Before’s launch has been a disaster. The game has lost nearly 90% of its players in just four days, and it has joined Steam’s list of the top 10 worst-reviewed games ever. It remains to be seen whether the game can recover from this poor start.
