EA Sports FC 26 may have almost 10 million daily active users, a far larger player count than public data may have you believe
A content creator has claimed that EA Sports FC 26 reached a peak of 9.8 million daily active users in the past month, suggesting its audience is far larger than public Steam figures indicate. If accurate, the claim highlights the limits of using a single platform’s data to judge a cross-platform game’s popularity, particularly for a series with a substantial console following.
SteamCharts recorded a 24-hour peak of 122,006 concurrent Steam users, but the alleged total would also include console players and users of EA’s own PC app. The creator said an EA developer shared the 9.8 million figure and claimed that 800,000 people were recently playing Clubs mode; neither claim has been independently verified. World Cup-themed content and additions to Ultimate Team may have helped sustain interest, while the figures emerge amid expectations that EA could be acquired by a group including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
In short
- EA Sports FC 26 reportedly reached 9.8 million daily active users.
- Steam data may represent only a small portion of its player base.
- The figures remain unverified claims from a content creator.
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The case for
If accurate, the 9.8 million figure suggests Steam data captures only a small part of FC 26’s audience, since many players use consoles or EA’s own PC app. The claimed popularity is plausible for a major football series with a broad platform reach, and recent themed content may have helped sustain engagement.
The case against
The 9.8 million figure is an unverified claim attributed to a creator who says it came from an EA developer, so it should not be treated as established fact. Without independent confirmation or a clear definition of daily active users, the figure cannot show how many people actually played; Steam’s public count is narrower but directly observable.
Explained simply
EA Sports FC is a football video game series made by Electronic Arts, usually known as EA. FC 26 is the latest instalment, and people can play it on consoles and computers; its online modes let players compete or play together.
Steam is one computer platform for buying and playing games, so its player figures cover only people using Steam. EA’s own computer app and consoles are separate ways to play, and a total across platforms can be difficult to verify from public figures alone.
The game includes Ultimate Team, where players build squads, and Clubs, where they play as part of a team. Its audience size matters to players and the games industry as a measure of the series’ reach, while claims about private player figures may be hard to check independently.