It seems like PlayStation 5 is taking a page out of Steam's book, as the console receives a new update that publicly displays the player count for the top 10 games of the week. The PlayStation 5 isn't known for this level of player count transparency, so this update comes as quite a surprise.
PC gamers have long had player counts for basically every video game on Steam, dating back to around 2013, when the unofficial SteamDB player count was launched. In 2022, Valve launched the official Steam Charts page, which details how many players are currently online or in-game on Steam, along with the current best-selling games and the most played games of the moment. In comparison, neither the Xbox Series X/S nor the PlayStation 5 have an official player count feature built into their user interfaces. Often, console players must rely on rough estimates, in-game player counts, or direct developer reports to gauge what a game's player base looks like. Meanwhile, on PC, fans can see which game has blown up on Steam at any time.
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Sony launches Quietly Player Count Tracking on PS5
However, it appears that Sony is starting to test a new player count feature, as beta testers have received an update to their Welcome Hub widgets that show the top 10 games on PlayStation 5 and trending games. As reported and demonstrated by YouTuber Mystic, the “Trending” tab shows which games saw the biggest increase in hours played most recently, while the “Top 10” tab shows a full list of the most played games that week, strictly by player count. There is currently no timeline for when this update will roll out to all PS5 consoles, but various beta insiders are reporting that they have also received the latest Player Count Widget patch.
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The PlayStation 5 rolling out a player count update would make it the first console ever to do so, but it's unclear why consoles haven't had this feature for so long, especially since fans have been asking for it for quite some time. The Trending tab in particular seems useful for the social experience on the PS5, allowing players to find out which games are the new viral hotness or which ones just received an update that is drawing players back. Meanwhile, the Top 10 tab is a nice addition, but all the usual suspects seem to be there, at least according to Mystic's video. Fortnite, Call of Dutyand Grand Theft Auto 5 are all practically destined to sit at the top of the list, that is, until GTA 6 releases and removes its predecessor.
As nice as it is to have this new feature on the PS5, there is another side to the coin when it comes to player count. Many fans on Reddit and Twitter have begun to express concern about the number of visible players, believing that discourse about new and existing games can become toxic because of it. Games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 6 ending up in cycles of war as player numbers fluctuate. This new PlayStation 5 update is a step forward in visibility for the console, but some console fans tend to take declining player numbers and the lack of virality for new releases as signs that games are “flopping” or underperforming, when that may not always be the case.
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What's more, in terms of social features, PS5 is still missing a lot compared to PS4. Features like “Communities” and “What's New Feed” are still missing from the console, making it a bit of an isolated experience compared to the previous console. While players can see what's trending and the top 10 games on PS5, some more community features may still be on the table. Hopefully, Sony can soon listen to community feedback and implement even more social features on the console before the PS5 successor arrives.
