Starfieldwas one of the best-performing games onSteamthis year, alongsideBaldur’s Gate 3,Destiny 2,Sons of the Forest, and more. This is despite its mixed reception among general players, so much so that the game hasslipped into “mostly negative” reviews on Steam.
This achievement is made all the more impressive considering Starfield was also available onGame Passfor both Xbox and PC from launch, meaning many players wouldn’t have had to purchase it at all. Still, it’s found enough success on Steam alone to make it to the top of the charts, shoulder-to-shoulder with games that had much more limited releases.
As we can see in the newly unveiledBest of Steam page for 2023, Starfield is in the platinum section. While the list isn’t in the exact order of what games sold the best, it means that Starfield was anything from the best-selling to the 15th best-selling title on the platform.
Here is the full list of the 15 games that made the most revenue on Steam in 2023:
There are a few other surprises on this list. For starters,Cyberpunk 2077is there three years after its launch, although this was helped by updates andPhantom Liberty, the game’s first and only story expansion. Sons of the Forest also makes the cut, being a much smaller game than the rest on the list. This survival title rose to popularity when the early access build went live in Feburary. Its full release is coming almost exactly a year later, on July 16, 2025.
As for Starfield, it seems that it’s off to a good start. Given thatBethesdatakes its time on its games, Starfield will be its most recent RPG for years to come, so making the Steam best-sellers list will be reassuring. However, it remains to be seen if it has the staying power of Skyrim and Fallout 4, as fans wait patiently for news on the next game from the studio. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has previously thrown his weight behind Starfield,saying it will keep players coming back for more, like Skyrim.
As for Skyrim itself, it’s still among the Steam best-sellers, it just made it into the bronze section, not platinum. Meanwhile, The Elder Scrolls Online was put in silver, which makes sense, as it has more ways to make money from players after they’ve picked up the game.
