Live Steam player count comparison, updated every 10 minutes. Both are RPG games.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is currently the more played game: 1,925 concurrent players on Steam right now vs 1,519 for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — about 27% more players. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim counters with better Steam reviews: 95% positive vs 89%. Across all tracked metrics, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ leads 5 of 9.
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 | Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim |
|---|---|---|
| Players right now | 1,925 | 1,519 |
| 24-hour peak | 1,942 | 1,636 |
| 7-day average | 1,615 | 1,160 |
| 30-day average | 1,615 | 1,120 |
| 30-day trend | — | −5% |
| Peak (tracked) | 2,540 | 2,106 |
| Steam reviews | 89% positive | 95% positive |
| Recent reviews (3 mo) | 92% positive | 94% positive |
| Total reviews | 116,063 | 317,689 |
| Owners (SteamSpy est.) | ~2,000,000 | ~5,000,000 |
| Release date | Oct 9, 2017 | Nov 10, 2011 |
| Price | $49.99 | $19.99 |
Full stats: Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ · The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim · add more games to this comparison →
| Month | Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | Peak | Avg | Peak | |
| Apr 2026 | 1,504 | 1,548 | — | — |
| Jun 2026 | — | — | 1,163 | 2,106 |
| Jul 2026 (so far) | 1,603 | 2,540 | 1,119 | 1,954 |
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: 1,925 concurrent players on Steam vs 1,519 for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — about 27% more players.
Over the last 30 days Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ averaged 1,615 concurrent players and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim averaged 1,120. By that measure Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is currently the bigger game.
By Steam review score, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim rates higher: 95% positive across 317,689 reviews vs 89% across 116,063 for Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™. Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ has the larger player base right now (1,925 vs 1,519 concurrent). Player counts, ratings, price and trend are compared side by side above.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim averaged 1,120 concurrent players over the last 30 days, down 5% vs the previous 30 days. Its highest tracked player count is 2,106.