Overwatch-Like Paladins Hits 4 Million Players on PC, Sits in Steam's Top 10 Chart

Paladins, the Overwatch-like multiplayer game from Smite developer Hi-Rez, has now passed 4 million players on PC. The developer announced this on Steam, where it also claimed Paladins is "one of the most popular games on Steam."

Indeed, it is. According to the latest available data, the free-to-play Paladins is the seventh most popular game on Steam by player count. It reached a peak of more than 42,000 players today.

"The worldwide response to Paladins has been incredible," Hi-Rez COO Todd Harris said in a statement. "It has been thrilling to see the game grow week-over-week since the Steam open beta began in mid-September, as well as to hear all of the player feedback, which we are constantly using to improve the game."

Paladins is currently available on PC though Steam Early Access. The game is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the future, while it will also be released in China through a partnership with Tencent.

Being a team-based shooter where you play as different characters, each with their own look and abilities, there has been no shortage of comparisons to Blizzard's Overwatch. Hi-Rez disputes the idea that it's a clone, saying it instead owes more to Team Fortress 2 and one of Hi-Rez's previous games, Global Agenda. It does admit it's taken some notes from Overwatch, though it emphasizes the game has been in the works for some time and that a closed beta first started last year.