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For years, PC gamers have enjoyed a transparent window into how many people are playing their favourite titles at any given moment, thanks to Steam’s concurrent user data. Console players, on the other hand, have been left guessing – relying on vague “top sellers” lists, anecdotal evidence, or third-party estimates that often feel like shots in the dark. That might finally be changing.
A new beta feature rolling out to select PS5 users is quietly revolutionising how we measure engagement on Sony’s platform. The revamped Welcome Hub – currently in testing – now displays actual player counts for the top 10 most popular games, as well as a separate list of trending titles. And the early numbers are staggering.
What’s New in the PS5 Welcome Hub?
The update first caught attention during a recent podcast by well-known YouTuber Mystic, who broke down how the feature works. Once enabled, PS5 users can choose to view either the week’s 10 most-played games or a rotating selection of trending additions. But here’s the kicker: alongside each title, Sony is showing raw player figures – something the company has never done publicly before.
“This is a big deal for console analytics,” Mystic explained. “We’ve never had anything like SteamDB on PlayStation. Now, at least for these top slots, we can see real engagement.”
You can watch Mystic’s full breakdown of the feature here.
Fortnite Obliterates the Competition
Thanks to eagle-eyed forum users like Maki over on ResetEra, we now have concrete numbers from the beta. And the usual suspects are dominating – but the scale is eye-opening.
According to screenshots shared by Maki, Fortnite pulled in a mind-boggling 14.6 million unique players on PS5 over the past seven days. That’s not concurrent users – it’s the total number of accounts that booted up the game within a week. Still, it’s a jaw-dropping figure for a single console.
Meanwhile, evergreen heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty (likely Modern Warfare III or Warzone), and Minecraft are all hovering around the 5 million mark each. That’s the kind of staying power most live-service games can only dream of.
You can follow the ResetEra discussion and see the original data here.
The Missing Giants – And Why They’re Absent
Before anyone celebrates too loudly, there are some glaring omissions that raise questions about how Sony compiles these lists. Several users have pointed out that Roblox – arguably one of the most-played games on any platform, especially among younger audiences – is nowhere to be seen. Neither are annualised sports behemoths like NBA 2K or EA Sports FC.
So what gives? Sony hasn’t officially explained its methodology, but speculation is already swirling. The most likely theories:
- Opt-in requirement – Publishers may need to consent to having their player counts displayed.
- Revenue-based filtering – Sony could be prioritising games that generate high Store earnings, not just raw logins.
- Technical limitations – The beta might only track titles using specific backend services (like PSN’s activity cards or trophies).
Whatever the reason, it means the current top 10 isn’t a complete picture. As one ResetEra poster put it: “No Roblox makes this feel like a curated chart, not a true popularity contest.”
Will the Top 10 Get Stale Fast?
Another concern raised by Mystic and others is discoverability. If the feature only shows the same blockbuster titles week after week – Fortnite, GTA V, CoD, Minecraft – then smaller or newer games have almost no chance of breaking through. That’s where the “trending” category could help, assuming Sony defines “trending” as week-over-week growth rather than raw totals.
But as Mystic notes on his podcast, there’s a real risk that casual players will check the Welcome Hub, see the same five games every time, and lose interest. “New releases would need Call of Duty-level launches just to appear,” he said. “That’s not healthy for an ecosystem.”
A Welcome Alternative to Shady Sales Estimates
Let’s be honest: console data has always been a mess. Unlike SteamDB, which pulls concurrent user numbers directly from Valve’s API, PlayStation fans have had to rely on shaky proxies. The PS Store’s “Best Sellers” list is region-specific and opaque – it mixes revenue with downloads and doesn’t show actual players. Third-party firms like Alinea Analytics offer sales projections, but they guard their methodologies like trade secrets, and their accuracy is often questioned by hardcore followers.
Even user review counts have been weaponised as makeshift popularity metrics, but those can be gamed or suffer from self-selection bias.
That’s why – despite its current limitations – the PS5’s new player count feature is such a leap forward. For the first time, we have official, first-party data on how many people are actually playing. Even if it only covers the top 10, it’s a powerful benchmark.
What This Means for Multi-Platform Games
For developers and publishers who release titles on both Steam and PS5, this beta offers a rare chance to compare engagement across ecosystems. A game that peaks at 100,000 concurrent users on Steam might have two or three million unique weekly players on PlayStation – that kind of insight could shape marketing budgets, update priorities, and cross-play decisions.
And for gamers? It’s just plain fun to see the numbers. There’s a reason SteamDB is a beloved destination for PC enthusiasts. Knowing that 14 million people dropped into Fortnite last week on a single console makes the world feel a little smaller – and a lot more connected.
The Bottom Line
Sony’s beta is far from perfect. It excludes Roblox, ignores sports titles, and may suffer from a stale top 10. We don’t know if or when the feature will roll out to all PS5 owners. But the direction is clear: transparency is coming to console gaming.
For now, if you’re in the beta, fire up your Welcome Hub and see who’s really ruling the leaderboards. And if you’re not? Keep an eye on forums like ResetEra – because those leaked numbers are telling a story that Sony can no longer keep hidden.
What game would you want to see added to the trending list? Let us know in the comments – and don’t forget to check out Mystic’s full video here for a hands-on tour of the feature.