Armored Core 6: Fire of Rubicon Sees Impressive Launch with Over 156,000 Concurrent Players

The highly anticipated game, Armored Core 6: Fire of Rubicon, has had an explosive start, attracting over 156,000 players concurrently in its debut weekend. This makes it the fifth biggest launch of 2023 and FromSoftware’s best launch weekend ever, second only to the mighty Elden Ring.

According to SteamDB (via GameRant), Armored Core 6 was the ninth-most-played game on Steam in the last 24 hours. This means it outperformed blockbuster titles like FIFA 23, Rainbow Six Siege, and Team Fortress 2 in terms of player engagement.

Among the games released in 2023 so far, only Resident Evil 4, Sons of the Forest, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Hogwarts Legacy had higher concurrent player peaks. It’s important to note that these numbers exclude the thousands of players enjoying the game on consoles as well.

Compared to other FromSoftware titles, Armored Core 6 has entered the silver position with 150,000 simultaneous players, according to Okami Games and SteamDB. In comparison, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Dark Souls 3 reached 125,000 and 129,000 simultaneous players, respectively.

If you’re curious about whether Armored Core 6 lives up to the hype, our review gives it three out of five stars. We praised its responsive and satisfying combat, deep mech customization, and exciting and varied missions. However, our review also points out the game’s shortcomings, including unsatisfying set piece boss encounters and the “jarring inclusion of soulsborne mechanics.”

“Armored Core 6: Fire of Rubicon offers slick and well-polished mech battling fundamentals, diluted by the inclusion of ill-fitting soulsborne mechanics that don’t complement the mech pilot fantasy,” we wrote in the review.

“Though there’s much to enjoy for fans of the series, newcomers will be met with a lopsided experience that doesn’t quite capture the full potential of the Armored Core series.”

If you’re looking for your next favorite game, be sure to check out our lists of the best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games.