Concord PC Players Struggle to Find Matches Amid Low Player Counts

During Concord's early access phase, PC players often found it difficult to get into matches without joining console lobbies. Initially, I gave Concord the benefit of the doubt, attributing this to the slow pace of early access. However, now that the game is fully available, the situation has not improved.

Currently, only 96 players are online in Concord. Even considering it’s off-peak hours, the 24-hour peak of 276 and an all-time peak of 697 on SteamDB paint a bleak picture. It’s clear that Concord has had a lackluster first week on PC. While there are no public player count records for PlayStation, these numbers give us a glimpse into Concord's overall popularity.

PC players have expressed frustration over the long queue times when not joining console lobbies. "Just waited eight minutes for matchmaking, and then it timed out," one player reported. "I love the game and want to play it. Unfortunately, I can't wait eight minutes plus between games. So, I decided to play something else and come back during peak hours. This really doesn't look promising at all."

I also experienced extended wait times while playing Concord last weekend—one wait lasted nearly seven minutes before I found a game. While this isn't terrible, I've played other games with similarly long queues. The difference, however, is that Concord might not be worth the wait. Although the matches are fun, albeit chaotic, they don't stand out, which may explain why players find the $40/£35 price tag hard to justify.

After playing a few games, I found myself enjoying certain heroes like Haymar and Daw, but most matches felt too similar, and the maps seemed overly large. You spend a lot of time wandering around searching for fights, and when you do find one, it often devolves into a chaotic mess of abilities and damage. While Concord offers more than just combat—its cosmetics are pretty appealing—it still doesn’t seem to justify its price.

Criticism about the upfront cost began as soon as it was announced, and many players believe going free-to-play could solve the game's launch problems. "They need to go F2P, this game won't last the month, they can't wait," some players argue. While shifting to a free-to-play model might boost player numbers, it's worth noting that there wasn’t a massive surge of interest during the free beta.

Even if free-to-play could help Concord's dwindling player base, some players are against the idea. "F2P is super predatory and lives off kids' parents' credit cards," one player said. "Concord costs $40, and everything post-launch is free! There won't be battle passes, and every additional map and hero is free!"

Free-to-play does have its downsides, but with so many free alternatives available, trying to resist this trend might seem like a mistake. Some argue this shows confidence, but it’s not the best business strategy if you want to attract a large player base. Faced with a choice between numerous excellent free team shooters or taking a $40 gamble on one, most people, including myself, would opt for the free options that are just as good, if not better.