The enthusiast gaming community has been reeling with the unexpected downturn of "The Day Before," an Early Access title that's been embroiled in controversy. Within just four days of its release, the game witnessed a massive 89% plunge in player count. Initially debuting with a promising peak of 38,104 concurrent players, the number dwindled sharply to just 4,125. Unlike typical gaming trends where player engagement heightens over the weekends, "The Day Before" continued to see a decline. The disappointment from players is palpable, leading to it becoming one of Steam's top ten worst reviewed games.

Beyond the sharp decline in active players, the game from developer Fntastic is facing a backlash for not delivering on its promise of an open-world, survival MMO experience. Instead, players have reported it feels more like a basic extraction shooter. This issue is compounded by the game entering Early Access just one month before launch, along with a history of delays, accusations of imitation, and a beta that seemed gated behind unpaid work for the developer.

Gamer forums and Steam reviews echo the sentiment of discontent, with an overwhelming number of players opting for refunds. Amidst the spiral of negativity, "The Day Before" stands with an "overwhelmingly negative" rating on Steam, with only 20% of players recommending it, sealing its fate on the infamous list of poorly-received games.

Why has "The Day Before" entered Steam's list of worst-reviewed games?

The rapid decline in player count and entry into Steam's worst-reviewed games list for "The Day Before" can be attributed to players feeling that the game failed to deliver the advertised survival MMO experience. Instead, they received an Early Access title perceived as a simple extraction shooter, alongside a track record of unfulfilled promises, delays, and controversial requirements for beta access.