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Core Keeper vs Rust
Rust is the more played game right now: 99,037 players on Steam against 23,651 for Core Keeper, about 4× more players. Rust has been ahead for 77 days straight.
Core Keeper counters with better Steam reviews: 93% positive vs 87%. Core Keeper is currently 40% off on Steam. Across all tracked metrics, Rust leads 7 of 10.
Players over time
Live Steam player counts. Core Keeper is read every 10 minutes, Rust every 5 minutes. Both are Action / Adventure games.
Which one have you played more?
Coilr members average 23.3h in Core Keeper and 343h in Rust. Connect your Steam account and this row fills in with your own hours instead — then keeps tracking both, so you can see which one you are actually still playing.
Core Keeper
23.3h
average of 33 members
Rust
343h
average of 110 members
See my hours in both
Free · read-only via Steam OpenID · no password · delete anytime
Core Keeper
17,687Rust
76,904Daily averages · latest day · Rust, 4.3× the players of Core Keeper
One point per day, averaged · Your time zone · drag or use arrow keys to read the lines
Tracked by Coilr since May 2026 · Core Keeper is read every 10 minutes, Rust every 5 minutes · methodology
These are Steam players only. A game that also runs on its own launcher, a storefront of its own or on console has players this number cannot see, so read it as a comparison of Steam audiences rather than of total ones.
Head-to-head record
Rust has had the higher daily player count for the last 77 days, every day since Coilr began tracking both games.
Core Keeper led 0 daysRust led 77 days
- Days tracked
- 77
- Current streak
- 77 days
- Rust
- Lead changes
- 0
- Closest gap
- 74%
- Oct 12, 2026
How this works: each game's daily average concurrent players (from Coilr's own Steam readings), compared on the 77 days where both games have data. Whichever averages higher leads that day.
Side by side
Every number Coilr has for both games. The better figure in each row is in green.
| Metric | Core Keeper | Rust |
|---|---|---|
| Players right now | 23,651 | 99,037 |
| 24-hour peak | 29,132 | 122,967 |
| 7-day average | 18,632 | 86,498 |
| 30-day average | 16,756 | 84,686 |
| 30-day trend | +142% | −7% |
| Peak (tracked) | 29,132 | 220,224 |
| Steam reviews | 93% positive | 87% positive |
| Recent reviews (3 mo) | 92% positive | 81% positive |
| Total reviews | 67,211 | 1,406,107 |
| Owners (SteamSpy est.) | ~1,000,000 | ~20,000,000 |
| Release date | Aug 27, 2024 | Feb 8, 2018 |
| Price | $11.99 (−40%) | $39.99 |
Players by month
Monthly average and peak concurrent players on Steam, from Coilr's own tracking (readings every few minutes for the biggest games, hourly averages beyond 30 days).
| Month | Core Keeper | Rust | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | Peak | Avg | Peak | |
| May 2026 | — | — | 95,781 | 182,883 |
| Jun 2026 | — | — | 104,094 | 220,224 |
| Jul 2026 | 2,789 | 4,066 | 104,874 | 196,421 |
| Aug 2026 | 3,028 | 5,009 | 99,832 | 198,220 |
| Sep 2026 | 4,471 | 9,184 | 81,974 | 147,607 |
| Oct 2026 (so far) | 13,221 | 29,132 | 92,022 | 162,249 |
Frequently asked
Which has more players, Core Keeper or Rust?
Rust currently has more players: 99,037 concurrent players on Steam vs 23,651 for Core Keeper, about 4× more players.
Is Core Keeper bigger than Rust on Steam?
Over the last 30 days Core Keeper averaged 16,756 concurrent players and Rust averaged 84,686. By that measure Rust is currently the bigger game.
Has Core Keeper ever had more players than Rust?
Not in Coilr's head-to-head tracking: Rust has had the higher daily average concurrent player count on Steam on every one of the 77 days both games have been tracked.
Is Core Keeper better than Rust?
By Steam review score, Core Keeper rates higher: 93% positive across 67,211 reviews vs 87% across 1,406,107 for Rust. Rust has the larger player base right now (99,037 vs 23,651 concurrent). Player counts, ratings, price and trend are compared side by side above.
Is Core Keeper growing or declining on Steam?
Core Keeper averaged 16,756 concurrent players over the last 30 days, up 142% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 29,132.
Is Rust growing or declining on Steam?
Rust averaged 84,686 concurrent players over the last 30 days, down 7% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 220,224.
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