Like it or not, few games are more popular thanFortnite, but oneRobloxgame just managed to single-handedly eclipse its peak popularity. Like the current state ofFortnite,Robloxis known more as a collection of creative game modes than a unified game experience, with a history of player-driven content. This can be the perfect breeding ground for breakout hits, and the recent popularity of a game calledGrow a Gardenproves it.

As reported by the Associated Press (viaThe Daily Record),Roblox’sGrow a Gardenhad a peak player count of 21.6 million concurrent players in July. As a farming simulator,Grow a Gardenhits a similar point of appeal to popular games likeStardew Valley, although its easier to play on the side as an idle game. For comparison,Fortnite.ggprovides an all-time peakFortniteplayer count of 14.3 million.

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Grow A Garden Demolished Fortnite’s Peak Player Count

Over 20 Million Players Is Hard To Beat

No matter how you slice it,Grow a Garden’s peak player count of over 20 million is staggering, and most major games would be lucky to break into six-digit peaks, let alone eight digits. WhileFortnitehas achieved its heights by building a massive brand andfeaturing frequent collaborationsover the years,Grow a Gardenis a recent breakout hit without the same backing.

The appeal ofGrow a Gardenisn’t built on the same flashiness asFortnite, instead leaning more on its relatively relaxing nature and the steadyprogress toward crop-selling profits.Concurrent players don’t all need to be actively tapped into the experience, so many simply have it open in the background while working on other tasks.

Roblox logo in front of black and white background.

Notably,Grow a Garden’s creator BMWlux apparently achieved this breakout success at only sixteen years old. Several months after its initial March 2025 release,Grow a Gardenwas purchased by DoBig Studios, which owns a number of majorRobloxgames.

A Totally Separate Ecosystem

The nameGrow a Gardenmight not have the same household familiarity asFortnite, but it clearly doesn’t need to. With a massive audience that reaches across mobile platforms and demographics,Robloxgames can sometimes capture fans who aren’t invested in the larger gaming scene.

This does come with drawbacks, asRobloxhas a huge number of young fans and aquestionable history of child safetypractices. If kids are going to be playing something onRoblox, however, they could probably do a lot worse than a farming sim.Grow a Gardenisn’t the flashiest game of all time, but it’s been setting some incredible records, and you might not have even noticed.

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