First launched in 2008, delightful 2D hack-and-slash action game Castle Crashers was a highlight of Microsoft’s first Xbox Summer of Arcade. Its chaotic co-op combat made it a fast and firm favorite among friend groups everywhere, and that only enhanced when it arrived on Steam in 2012. Now, 16 years after its original release, Castle Crashers is making a comeback on Steam – and you can jump in for less than two dollars.
On Friday June 28, developer The Behemoth decided to celebrate the game for the first time in a while by streaming a live four-player session of the co-op game with long-time Castle Crashers YouTuber ‘Reckerless.’ It seems to have led to players remembering just how fun it was, along with perhaps some who missed it originally discovering it for the first time, as the player count has exploded on Steam.
It probably also helps that a big Steam sale discount means you can currently grab it with 90% knocked off the list price. That means you’ll pay $1.49 to get in on the action, and at that price, it should be easy to entice a few friends to join you as well. Castle Crashers is definitely best when experienced with other players, fighting side-by-side before facing off against your friends to win the affection of the princess.
The combination of factors has certainly paid off. On Saturday June 29, Castle Crashers reached a 24-hour peak player count of 10,467, the first time it’s topped 10,000 active players at once since 2015 despite several free weekends in the interim, and not too far off its all-time record of 16,013 from June 2014.
Castle Crashers is 90% off on Steam through Thursday July 11, meaning you’ll pay just $1.49 / £0.99 for your copy, down from its usual price of $14.99 / £9.99. If you’re eager to give it a go, head here to get started.
That’s not all, however – we’ve rounded up the best multiplayer games on PC for lots more ways to play with others. Or you can take a blast to the past with the best old games you can still play today.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.