Steam’s second most-played game right now is reportedly a bot-filled marketplace that can get you banned
Task Bar Hero, a new idle game that launched on Steam at the end of May, has rapidly become the platform’s second most-played title. The game achieved approximately 450,000 concurrent players within its first night and subsequently reached an all-time peak of 526,596 concurrent players during the weekend. This peak places it below Counter-Strike 2 but above major titles like Dota 2, PUBG, and Path of Exile 2.
However, the game’s explosive popularity has come with significant concerns. According to reports, Task Bar Hero’s marketplace is allegedly plagued with bot accounts, creating a problematic environment for legitimate players. The abundance of bots has raised questions about marketplace integrity and may be contributing to players receiving bans for activities tied to the bot-filled system.
This situation highlights the challenges rapidly-scaling online games face in managing bot accounts and maintaining marketplace integrity. Task Bar Hero joins a growing list of idle games that have captured substantial player bases on Steam in recent months, though its steep rise and the bot-related issues suggest that rapid growth can outpace the implementation of effective moderation and anti-bot measures.