Steam Charts: Death, Divisions and DLC

I wasn't around to cover the previous week's Steam Top 10 as per usual, so you'll have to wildly imagine the shape of it yourself. I can take an educated guess if you like: I'm pretty sure Soldner was a shock number one, with Limbo of the Lost and Aliens: Colonial Marines hot on its heels. Strange that they're completely gone from the latest chart, below, but that's the fickle nature of the millennial digital consumer for you, innit?

1. Tom Clancy’s The Division

I want to say I'm surprised about this, as I haven't heard anyone talking about it, but then that's also the case for any new Call of Duty: it's adopted en masse by a horde of people who don't necessarily chatter online about it, and neither do they drop it a week or two after release. This is their Big Shooting Game for the year, or at least its first half, and one where groups of friends end up all picking it up so they can play together. On top of that, it's a bloody good game, despite its flaws. Our ongoing guide to all things Clancy contains all the info you need whether you're just starting out or have already hit the level 30 glass ceiling.

2. Grand Theft Auto V

I can't work out why this is riding so high again, other than 'because it's a Grand Theft Auto'. I basically haven't been on the internet for almost a fortnight though, so for all I know HBO decided to finally answer the question of Is Wossiname From Thrones Dead Or Not with in an-game GTA event.

3. Stardew Valley

The Harvest Moonalike gets to do what a Nintendo game basically never does, which is to be a rolling work in progress, adding new stuff as the playerbase demands or the devs desire. Word of mouth plus a steady stream of new features, such as an overhaul to marriage, helps keep Stardew Valley looking fresh'n'tasty. This remains 2016's most surprising success, and I get the warm and fuzzies because of that.

4. Fallout 4

It's quite the week for returns to power from the big guns of the recent past. Bethesda climb back into the high echelons thanks to a double whammy of the roboty Automatron DLC (which Richard felt was too slight for its own good) and the overhauled survival mode, which rather broke poor old Rob's spirit.

5. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

IT WILL NEVER DIE.

6. DARK SOULS III Deluxe Edition

The revered icon of e-peen-waving returns, and manages a pretty strong placement on pre-orders alone- a double-whammy, no less, with this Deluxe Edition bundling in some DLC. Adam thought DSIII to be a qualified success.

7. DARK SOULS III

Made-Up Maths tells me that sales of the standard edition combined with the above Deluxe Edition would push DSIII to fourth or even third place. You do trust in my Made-Up Maths, don't you? Again, it should be noted that DSIII isn't even released for another week, so it's doing bloody well for itself in pre-order bucks.

8. Factorio

This ultro-scale building game would surely be scooping the where-the-hell-did-that-come-from trophy if it wasn't for Stardew Valley's titanic success. Do check out Factorio: don't be put off by either the slightly muddy presentation or the apparent brain-mulching complexity. It works, it makes sense, and it's supremely well-thought-out.

9. Tom Clancy’s The Division Gold Edition

The base game+DLC bundle snags Ubisoft a second Division placement. Bear in mind even that doesn't account for any in-game purchases, which involve the accursed Uplay. In other words: Ubisoft have made an awful lot of money from this.

10. Fallout 4 Season Pass

Fallout 4's DLC pack sneaks in at the bottom of the top 10, meaning that, in actual fact, last week's chart only comprises seven different games. There are no shocks either, as Stardew and Factorio's big-hitting is comparatively old news by now.

I'm not going to do new/re-entries and drop-outs this week as I wasn't around last week to know what's changed. Instead, I'll note the following:

Indie (not including Valve) to AAA ratio - 2:8

Sequels - 4/10. Or 6/10 if you include deluxe editions and season passes.

Games primarily about killing: 5/10. Or 7/10 if you include deluxe editions and season passes.

Charts via PC gaming news stalwart Blues.