Cyberpunk 2077 outsells Gears of War E-Day on Steam during autumn sale

Cyberpunk 2077 climbed to third place in Steam's global revenue chart this week, beating Gears of War E-Day — which landed at eighth — during its own launch window. A four-year-old RPG outranking a brand-new Microsoft tentpole release is a striking result by any measure.

The numbers are even more impressive given that Steam's chart tracks revenue, not unit sales. Cyberpunk 2077 is currently discounted 70% to around $18, meaning CD Projekt RED needed to move an enormous volume of copies to out-earn Gears of War E-Day at its full $70 price tag.

Microsoft's publishing strategy played into this dynamic. Gears of War E-Day launched day one on Xbox Game Pass, which predictably pulled a chunk of potential buyers away from the Steam storefront. Even so, Cyberpunk 2077's chart position is the result of years of sustained work by CD Projekt RED — the Edgerunners anime, the sweeping 2.0 patch, and the Phantom Liberty expansion all rebuilt player interest that the game's disastrous 2020 launch had badly damaged.

For CD Projekt RED, it's a vindication of the long-game approach to live support. Whether Gears of War E-Day's Game Pass numbers tell a different story behind the scenes remains to be seen.