Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hit new highs after 20,535,709 unique players logged in over December.

The figure, reported by CS:GO observer Nors3 in a tweet (below), marks an all-time peak for the 2012 multiplayer shooter. If accurate, it marks a 100 per cent increase over November’s figures.

20,535,709 unique players for @csgo_dev in December, doubling numbers of previous month. This is the biggest number ever recorded for Counter-Strike.

Impressive! pic.twitter.com/0FtWW100OZ

— Nors3 (@Nors3) January 2, 2019

Steam Charts shows a less dramatic - if still significant - increase, with 398,711 average active players through December, with a peak player count of 746,548. That’s still a 28 per cent increase over November’s active player count. Global Offensive saw its highest average player count in February 2017 with 402,386, while its all-time player peak sits at 850,485, recorded in April 2016.

December was a big month for Valve’s ageing shooter. Counter-Strike finally dropped its $15 price tag to go free-to-play, giving previously-paying customers access to “Prime” accounts.

The game also dipped its toes into the battle royale space with Danger Zone, providing a highly scaled-down if uniquely Counter-Strike take on the phenomenon.