The Cube, Save Us opens to low player counts and mostly negative Steam reviews

XLGAMES’ free-to-play extraction shooter The Cube, Save Us only just entered early access, but its Steam launch has been rough. The post-apocalyptic PvPvE game peaked at 5,177 concurrent players on Steam and then fell to daily highs of around 1,600, based on publicly visible chart data.

The bigger problem looks to be reception. The game quickly dropped into “Mostly Negative” territory on Steam, with players criticizing a lack of content, clunky combat, and a general feeling that the build wasn’t ready. That’s a tough start for a free-to-play multiplayer game that’s trying to build momentum right out of the gate.

According to the official post, XLGAMES also temporarily disabled the in-game cash shop over the weekend because of “fraudulent activity.” The studio didn’t say how long that issue would last in the source material here, but the shutdown came almost immediately after launch.

The Cube, Save Us is built around PvPvE extraction runs in a ruined sci-fi setting, so early player numbers and review sentiment matter a lot. These games tend to live or die on repeat play, matchmaking health, and whether players think the loot loop is worth sticking with. Right now, the early Steam response suggests XLGAMES has work to do if it wants to turn things around.