Q2 2025: What Grabbed Player Attention (and Where)

Niklas Borglund

Author

2025-07-17

Hey!

We’re a few weeks into Q3, so I figured it was time to look back and break down what actually happened on Steam during Q2.

At first, I asked myself: is a global top list even that useful? Sure, it shows what’s broadly popular - but after analyzing hundreds of games for Niklas Notes, I’ve realized just how wildly audiences can differ.

Sometimes it’s localization. Sometimes it’s culture. Sometimes a game simply didn’t get promoted in a region. Either way, what performs well globally doesn’t always line up with what captures attention locally.

So I built something new: Attention Lists.

They track which games got the most attention in each language group—not just by total reviews, but also by how well those games were received. Even if a game was review-bombed, if it got a large volume of feedback in a region, it shows up. Sometimes what didn’t go well tells you just as much as what did.

I’ve generated these lists for every major Steam language, but to keep things readable, we’ll focus on the top five system languages (based on Steam's Hardware & Software Survey)

• English: ~36%
• Simplified Chinese: ~28%
• Russian: ~9%
• Spanish (Spain): ~4%
• Portuguese (Brazil): ~4%

The Global Winners

Let's start with looking at the games that we can find in every list. They had a global appeal and caused some sort of a wave in the industry.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive

At the number 1 spot of every list is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It quickly rose to be the top GOTY contender for a lot of player. Made by a core team of around 30 developers in France and they reported end of May that they sold 3.3 million copies. I'm sure they sold alot more since.

Players absolutely love it's outstanding story, beautiful graphics, and incredible soundtrack. Some players feel like the combat system is overrated, but those are in great minority.

At the time of writing, this Final Fantasy inspired RPG sits on a solid 95% Overwhelmingly Positive score. Sandfall Interactive showed that they are a studio to be reckoned with.

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN by FromSoftware, Inc.

FromSoftware released this standalone adventure in the Elden Ring universe focusing on a 3 player co-op experience. It was, as expected, the talk of the town when it was released.

Players love the experience when it's played with 2 other friends as intended, it has it's trademark difficulty and challenging gameplay. Playing solo, however - is not as enjoyable to many - and co-op with only one friend is not something the game support - which it got massive critique for.

One interesting thing to note here is that when the game was released, the game got absolutely hammered by the chinese audience, giving it only a 27% positive rating.

Looking only at the latest month, it seemed to have gone up to a respectable 70%. Goes to show that steadily updating and listening to player feedback can turn things around over time.

Dune: Awakening by Funcom

Dune: Awakening is the latest hit in the Open World Survival Craft genre.

Players love the setting, lore, and immersive visuals.

Criticism centers on the grindy progression, PvP balance, and launch server issues - though most of that seems to be improving based on recent feedback.

Even with "just" 77% positive score - it managed to climb up to a steady place in all the top markets.

https://niklasnotes.com/dashboard/game/127032/dune_awakening

The Almost Global Winners (Leaving money on the table?)

Here are games that got attention in all the top 5 markets but one! Sometimes it's a matter of localization, sometimes it's something else.

Let's dive into the games and see if we can find why!

DELTARUNE by tobyfox

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Chinese Simplified
• Localized Languages: English, Japanese

The very anticipated sequel to UNDERTALE did not disappoint its fans. It very quickly amassed a huge number of players and sits currently on an impressive 98% positive! Players love pretty much everything about it - the soundtrack, the engaging story, and the unique gameplay.

In all the other markets we cover today, it's in second place after Clair Obscur.

So looking at it, I honestly believe this game could collect a lot more sales by selecting a few more languages to localize the game into. Specifically Simplified Chinese would probably.

Although I'm not so sure that will happen. UNDERTALE also only supports only English and Japanese - so I'm not sure the developer has a reason for that or not.

PEAK by Landfall, Aggro Crab, Landcrab & Team PEAK

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Chinese Simplified
• Localized Languages: English (at the time)

A huge hit - PEAK sold over 5 million copies in little under a month. I actually bought and tried this with my colleagues at Lavapotion - and this co-op climbing game is great fun. I love how they nudge players to use the in-game voice chat that gives you that spatial awareness and creates in itself memorable moments.

They JUST now in Q2 added support for a host of new languages. So I think this will change. It has a significantly high score, although the chinese market seems to judge bugs and connection issues more than others - which has been one of the main critiques. So it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

REMATCH by Sloclap

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Chinese Simplified
• Localized Languages: 14 Languages, including all of the top markets

REMATCH sits at 75% and is doing well in most regions. Players enjoy the unique mechanics, the fresh take on team sports, and the fun, fast-paced gameplay.

But the Chinese response is much colder -just 57%. Reviews mention crashes, lag, matchmaking issues, and frustration with the pricing and lack of crossplay. These things tend to land harder in regions where expectations for polish and value are higher.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered by Bethesda Game Studios & Virtuos

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Chinese Simplified
• Localized Languages: 9 Languages, including all of the top markets except russian

This remastered version of the 2006 RPG classic, got an 87% global rating - but looking only at the Simplified Chinese Crowd, it would only get 64%.

This time around it seems to be related to localization, at least in part when looking at the top upvoted reviews. Players call out a lazy translation, stuttering, bugs, and a complete lack of mod support.

Stellar Blade™ by SHIFT UP CORPORATION

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Russian
• Localized Languages: 22 Languages, including all of the top markets

Originally a PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade made the jump to PC and quickly gained attention for its fluid combat, stunning visuals, and stylish presentation. Players praise its fast-paced action and engaging story, along with a well-received soundtrack and good performance across various hardware setups.

That said, it’s not without critique. Some players mention technical concerns related to Denuvo, along with repetitive side quests and questionable map design. Still, it holds a strong score overall.

I think the reason for why this one underperformed in Russian is simple, the game is not sold there. The game was region locked in over 130 countries when it was released, Russia one of them, and the game developers are reportedly working on it.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered by Naughty Dog LLC, Nixxes Software & Iron Galaxy Studios

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Russian
• Localized Languages: 25, including all of the top markets

The remastered version of The Last of Us Part II was one of the most anticipated releases of the quarter. Players praise its emotional weight, visual fidelity, optimized performance, and overall polish. It delivers a high-quality cinematic experience that resonates with longtime fans.

But, just like Stellar Blade, the game is region locked in Russia - effectively preventing it from reaching that audience at all. That likely explains its absence from the list despite strong numbers elsewhere.

DOOM: The Dark Ages by id Software

• Missing/Underperforming Market: Portuguese (Brazil)
• Localized Languages: 15 Languages, including all of the top markets

DOOM: The Dark Ages launched with a strong 87% score, praised for its satisfying combat, slick visuals, and solid optimization - even on mid-range systems.

That said, some players miss the faster pace of earlier entries. The absence of Mick Gordon’s soundtrack was a frequent gripe, and mandatory ray tracing caused performance issues for a few. Not sure - but in Brazil, that mix, plus a relatively short campaign, might have limited its reach.

The English Audience

Games ONLY in the English Top List:

• Blue Prince
• RuneScape: Dragonwilds

The Simplified Chinese Audience

This market is the one with the most games not found in other games. Would be interesting for other breakdowns to see if we can see a pattern here on why. Whether its genre related, cultural or something else.

Products ONLY in the Simplified Chinese Top List:

• PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Publisher Sale - Summer Ready Pack
• 情感反诈模拟器
• FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
• Path of Kung Fu
• Infinity Nikki - Low score, but many reviews (F2P)
• Vindictus: Defying Fate Demo - Low score, but many reviews (F2P)

The Russian Audience

Products ONLY in the Russian Top List:

• Beholder: Conductor
• Скуф на рыбалке
• GeoGuessr Steam Edition - This game is very disliked, but got a lot of attention - only 22% positive.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl - Enhanced Edition - Same with this one - only 44% positive

The Spanish Audience

Products ONLY in the Spanish Top List:

• Dungeon Rampage Demo

The Portuguese(Brazil) Audience

Products ONLY in the Portuguese(Brazil) Top List:

• Soulstone Survivors
• 9 Kings

Interesting Note About Spanish & Portuguese (Brazil)

The games that get attention get a lot of overlap between these two markets. Here are games that reached the top in both Spanish and Portuguese(Brazil), but in no other list.

• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic
• Game of Thrones: Kingsroad
• Supermarket Simulator

Phew! That's it! Some very interesting releases here, and I think we are seeing a slight shift that's been building for a while. It's not clear that AAA studios will top the list. Indies, smaller teams and even solo devs are sometimes topping the lists now. It's exciting to see and I'll be here to break down the next quarter as well.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it — or buy me a coffee to help support more data-driven game breakdowns like this one.