Live Steam player count comparison, updated every 10 minutes. Both are Action / Adventure games.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is currently the more played game: 1,665 concurrent players on Steam right now vs 1,629 for METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN — a similar number of players. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN counters with better Steam reviews: 92% positive vs 89%. METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN is currently 40% off on Steam. Across all tracked metrics, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ leads 7 of 8.
Coilr tracks charts like this for every game — and playtime history for your own library.
Tracked by Coilr since April 2026 · Steam polled every 10 minutes · methodology
| Metric | METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN | Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ |
|---|---|---|
| Players right now | 1,629 | 1,665 |
| 24-hour peak | 1,973 | 2,310 |
| 7-day average | 1,570 | 1,767 |
| 30-day average | 1,570 | 1,767 |
| 30-day trend | — | — |
| Peak (tracked) | 1,973 | 2,310 |
| Steam reviews | 92% positive | 89% positive |
| Recent reviews (3 mo) | 87% positive | 92% positive |
| Total reviews | 107,266 | 116,063 |
| Owners (SteamSpy est.) | ~2,000,000 | ~2,000,000 |
| Release date | Sep 1, 2015 | Oct 9, 2017 |
| Price | $17.99 (−40%) | $49.99 |
Full stats: METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN · Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ · add more games to this comparison →
| Month | METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN | Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | Peak | Avg | Peak | |
| Apr 2026 | 1,247 | 1,247 | 1,504 | 1,548 |
| Jul 2026 (so far) | 1,580 | 1,973 | 1,770 | 2,310 |
Monthly average and peak concurrent players on Steam, from Coilr's own tracking (10-minute polls, hourly beyond 30 days).
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ currently has more players: 1,665 concurrent players on Steam vs 1,629 for METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN — a similar number of players.
Over the last 30 days METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN averaged 1,570 concurrent players and Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ averaged 1,767. By that measure Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is currently the bigger game.
By Steam review score, METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN rates higher: 92% positive across 107,266 reviews vs 89% across 116,063 for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™. Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ has the larger player base right now (1,665 vs 1,629 concurrent). Player counts, ratings, price and trend are compared side by side above.