The most played games on PlayStation and Xbox remain remarkably consistent, with live-service juggernauts and annual sports franchises occupying the top spots. This enduring trend was recently highlighted by game industry analyst Mat Piscatella of Circana.
Piscatella shared data from Circana estimating weekly active users across the US for both PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The lists, featuring 20 games each, show a near-identical lineup, with Fortnite leading the pack on both consoles. Following Fortnite, the top ranks are filled with familiar titles such as Roblox, Call of Duty (central app), Grand Theft Auto V Remastered, Marvel Rivals, Rainbow Six Siege, and NBA 2K26.
While the overall lists are similar, minor divergences appear. Minecraft and Forza Horizon 6, which has not yet launched on PlayStation 5, feature in the Xbox top 10. Palworld stands out as the only game from a less established franchise to break into this elite group on Xbox. The Call of Duty franchise appears to hold greater sway on PlayStation, with both the central app, encompassing Warzone, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ranking in the top 10. EA Sports College Football 27 also shows a stronger performance on Sony's platform.
When prompted to expand the lists from the initial top 10 to a full 20 games, the dominance of established titles became even more apparent. Newcomers to these expanded lists include Battlefield 6, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Dead by Daylight, EA Sports FC 26, and Madden NFL 26.
The data revealed only one truly new release in the top 20 on either platform: the indie horror game Shift at Midnight, which appeared solely on the Xbox list due to its absence on PS5. On PlayStation, the Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls beta was the sole new arrival in the top 20. Some outliers were noted, such as Dead by Daylight appearing only on PlayStation's top 20, while Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Resynced made the cut exclusively for Xbox.
In contrast, Steam's most played list presents a more varied picture. Fortnite is unavailable on Valve's platform, leading to its absence from the charts. However, Steam's top 10 includes a mix of indie successes like Meccha Chameleon and Slay the Spire 2 alongside perennial favorites. Titles such as Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2, which do not feature on the console lists, are present on Steam. Valve's own MOBA, Deadlock, currently in an invite-only beta, holds the seventh position, suggesting significant potential for future engagement upon its official release.