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DayZ vs Left 4 Dead 2
DayZ is the more played game right now: 45,088 players on Steam against 26,399 for Left 4 Dead 2, about 1.7× more players. Left 4 Dead 2 has been ahead for 6 days straight, and has led on 6 days of the 135 days Coilr has tracked both games.
Left 4 Dead 2 counters with better Steam reviews: 98% positive vs 78%. Left 4 Dead 2 is currently 80% off on Steam. Across all tracked metrics, Left 4 Dead 2 leads 7 of 10.
Players over time
Live Steam player counts. DayZ is read every 5 minutes, Left 4 Dead 2 every 10 minutes. Both are Action games.
Which one have you played more?
Coilr members average 81.2h in DayZ and 121h in Left 4 Dead 2. 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.
DayZ
81.2h
average of 51 members
Left 4 Dead 2
121h
average of 208 members
See my hours in both
Free · read-only via Steam OpenID · no password · delete anytime
DayZ
28,625Left 4 Dead 2
31,657Daily averages · latest day · Left 4 Dead 2, 11% ahead of DayZ
One point per day, averaged · Your time zone · drag or use arrow keys to read the lines
Tracked by Coilr since April 2026 · DayZ is read every 5 minutes, Left 4 Dead 2 every 10 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
Left 4 Dead 2 has had the higher daily player count for the last 6 days. DayZ last led on Oct 3, 2026.
DayZ led 129 daysLeft 4 Dead 2 led 6 days
- Days tracked
- 135
- Current streak
- 6 days
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Lead changes
- 1
- Closest gap
- <1%
- Oct 3, 2026
How this works: each game's daily average concurrent players (from Coilr's own Steam readings), compared on the 135 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 | DayZ | Left 4 Dead 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Players right now | 45,088 | 26,399 |
| 24-hour peak | 45,641 | 47,822 |
| 7-day average | 33,891 | 34,484 |
| 30-day average | 33,584 | 27,105 |
| 30-day trend | −9% | +5% |
| Peak (tracked) | 65,084 | 51,982 |
| Steam reviews | 78% positive | 98% positive |
| Recent reviews (3 mo) | 85% positive | 97% positive |
| Total reviews | 470,319 | 1,061,010 |
| Owners (SteamSpy est.) | ~10,000,000 | ~50,000,000 |
| Release date | Dec 13, 2018 | Nov 16, 2009 |
| Price | $24.99 (−50%) | $1.99 (−80%) |
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 | DayZ | Left 4 Dead 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | Peak | Avg | Peak | |
| Apr 2026 | — | — | 27,856 | 35,260 |
| May 2026 | 40,401 | 64,822 | 29,374 | 41,078 |
| Jun 2026 | 36,811 | 65,084 | 24,185 | 43,172 |
| Jul 2026 | 36,804 | 64,972 | 28,131 | 45,305 |
| Aug 2026 | 35,988 | 63,434 | 25,860 | 41,038 |
| Sep 2026 | 33,350 | 62,236 | 22,663 | 40,106 |
| Oct 2026 (so far) | 30,983 | 55,919 | 32,126 | 51,982 |
Frequently asked
Which has more players, DayZ or Left 4 Dead 2?
DayZ currently has more players: 45,088 concurrent players on Steam vs 26,399 for Left 4 Dead 2, about 1.7× more players.
Is DayZ bigger than Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam?
Over the last 30 days DayZ averaged 33,584 concurrent players and Left 4 Dead 2 averaged 27,105. By that measure DayZ is currently the bigger game.
Has DayZ ever had more players than Left 4 Dead 2?
Yes. Across the 135 days Coilr has tracked both games, DayZ had the higher daily average on 129 days, most recently on Oct 3, 2026. Left 4 Dead 2 has led for the last 6 days.
Is DayZ better than Left 4 Dead 2?
By Steam review score, Left 4 Dead 2 rates higher: 98% positive across 1,061,010 reviews vs 78% across 470,319 for DayZ. DayZ has the larger player base right now (45,088 vs 26,399 concurrent). Player counts, ratings, price and trend are compared side by side above.
Is DayZ growing or declining on Steam?
DayZ averaged 33,584 concurrent players over the last 30 days, down 9% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 65,084.
Is Left 4 Dead 2 growing or declining on Steam?
Left 4 Dead 2 averaged 27,105 concurrent players over the last 30 days, up 5% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 51,982.
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