Almost two decades on from its initial release, World of Warcraft is still incredibly popular with a huge player count in 2025.
Whether fans are diving into World of Warcraft to prepare for the latest expansion, The War Within, or they prefer to dive back into WoW Classic, Blizzard’s MMORPG has maintained a decided fanbase for almost 20 years.
If you’re curious to know exactly how many people are playing World of Warcraft in January 2025, here’s a rundown of the player count, and how it stacks up against competitors.
Monthly count
As of January 2025, it’s estimated that an average of 256.00K players log in to continue their World of Warcraft adventures each day, according to MMO Populations.
It’s worth bearing in mind that this information is comprised of “estimations based on subscriber numbers and online sentiment,” and therefore is purely an estimation. Player counts for the game haven’t been officially released outside of Activision Blizzard’s quarterly earnings calls.
Player count compared to competitors
In comparison to its fellow MMOs, World of Warcraft still proves to be the most popular all-time MMORPG by a landslide.
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No competitor comes anywhere near WoW’s estimated total player count as of January 2025 as evidenced by the table and chart below.
| MMORPG | Total Player Count (Millions) |
|---|---|
| World of Warcraft | 158.51 |
| Diablo IV | 69.2 |
| FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn | 66.2 |
| Old School RuneScape | 60.5 |
| Path of Exile | 49.3 |
| Elder Scrolls Online | 24.5 |
Is World of Warcraft a dead game?
It’s no secret that WoW has previously been on the decline, but these statistics prove it is far from dead. Indeed, it still remains well ahead of its competitors.
A report from IGN in March 2024 also revealed the game was on the up, with over 7 million players subscribed to the service.
That’s everything you need to know about WoW’s player count in January 2025. For more on the game, check out our War Within tier lists for DPS, Tank, Healer, and Hero Talent guides for Colossus Warrior and Keeper of the Grove Druid.