One of the best features of games as a hobby is, sometimes, an absolute classic comes roaring in out of absolutely nowhere. A previously unknown multiplayer shooter created by just four people, BattleBit Remastered, is dominating the Steam charts right now, and it’s not hard to see why.
Released for early access yesterday, June 15, BattleBit Remastered costs just $15, and has the charming voxel-style graphics of games like Minecraft. But there’s no shortage of cheap, Minecraft-clone shooters, so what’s made this one so immediately popular? It supports multiplayer servers of up to 254 players — almost twice as many offered by Battlefield 2042 — making it a strong choice for anyone who wants to lose themselves in a teeming mass of battling humanity.
But it doesn’t just have numbers, there’s some serious strategic depth here too. BattleBit Remastered also has destructible terrain and buildings, vehicles, defensive deployable structures, proximity chat, a class system, and elements like bleeds, which have to be bandaged. It’s a multiplayer shooter with the depth and features to challenge the biggest boys in the space, and that’s extra incredible when you consider it was made by just four people.
A big part of its success likely comes from the lo-fi visuals. Speaking to PC Gamer, BattleBit product manager Twelve highlighted the visuals as the reason the game’s huge maps and player support are possible. Those low visuals also mean the game runs on almost any rig, which makes its popularity even less surprising. A 4th generation Intel i5 and GeForce GTX 600 are listed under the official recommended specs for the game, while the minimum specs go all the way back to a GeForce GTS 450 and Intel Core i5-2310.
All of this together has apparently lead to serious success for BattleBit Remastered. Steam’s best-selling list is ordered by revenue made, not copies sold, which means the game has recently made more money than Warzone 2, Starfield, PUBG, and the Steam Deck. Also interesting is how well the game has stood up to the amount of attention it’s garnered: Outside of some server resets, the launch has been smoother than you might expect for such numbers of players.