Once Human is a big hit at Steam Next Fest, but wishlists are a drop in the bucket

NetEase's upcoming third-person shooter, Once Human, boasts over 15 million global pre-registrations, a significant achievement highlighted by its Steam Next Fest success. However, a closer look reveals a disparity between its mobile and PC performance.

While pre-registrations are impressive, only 300,000 translate to Steam wishlists. This is noteworthy given NetEase's mobile-centric history and their prioritization of a PC-first release for Once Human.

This isn't to criticize NetEase's strategy; Once Human remains highly popular on Steam, attracting the most demo players during Next Fest. Nevertheless, the contrast underscores the significant difference in reach and discoverability between the mobile and PC gaming markets, with mobile still holding a clear advantage.

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

NetEase's PC focus is understandable, but the figures highlight the challenge even major developers face in achieving comparable visibility and popularity on PC compared to mobile.

While waiting for Once Human's release, consider exploring our curated lists of the best and most anticipated mobile games of 2024. These lists offer hand-picked selections of top-tier mobile gaming experiences.