Circana's latest weekly active user estimates for the US confirm what many players have suspected for years: the most-played games on PlayStation and Xbox are effectively the same list. Analyst Mat Piscatella, senior director and video game industry advisor at Circana, shared the data on Bluesky this week, revealing that Fortnite sits at number one on both platforms while the surrounding top 10 reads like a greatest-hits album of live service giants and annualized sports franchises. For anyone hoping the console landscape might finally shift toward newer experiences, the numbers offer a sobering reality check.
The top 10 on both platforms includes:
- Roblox
- the Call of Duty app (which houses Warzone)
- GTA 5 Remastered
- Marvel Rivals
- Rainbow Six Siege
- NBA 2K26
PlayStation and Xbox: Nearly Identical Most-Played Lists
Circana tracks weekly active users across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in the United States, providing one of the few consistent cross-platform engagement metrics available publicly. Mat Piscatella has shared these rankings periodically on Bluesky, offering a rare window into what players actually spend time with versus what they buy. The data captures engagement, not revenue, meaning free-to-play behemoths like Fortnite and Roblox compete directly with premium annual releases like NBA 2K26 and EA Sports FC 26 on equal footing.
The analyst initially posted only the top 10 for each platform, but community members asked him to expand the lists to 20 in hopes of finding newer, non-established games gaining traction. His response was blunt:
"Well. Sure. Each list had exactly one new game reach the top 20."
Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor at Circana
That single new entry on Xbox is Shift at Midnight, an indie horror title without a PS5 version. On PlayStation, the lone newcomer is the Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls beta. Everything else in both top 20s is an established live service game or an annual sports entry.
PlayStation and Xbox: Dominated by Established Titles
The near-identical nature of the PlayStation and Xbox rankings underscores how thoroughly cross-platform live service titles have colonized console engagement. Battlefield 6, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Dead by Daylight, EA Sports FC 26 and Madden NFL 26 join the fray in the expanded top 20. The few platform-exclusive entries reveal more about portfolio strategy than player preference: Dead by Daylight appears only on PlayStation's top 20, while Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced shows up solely on Xbox. Forza Horizon 6's presence on Xbox but not PlayStation reflects its current platform availability.
What this means for players is that the social gravity of these ecosystems has calcified around a handful of titles. If you boot up a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S tonight, the lobbies you join, the friends you see online, and the content updates you download will overwhelmingly come from the same set of games. New releases face an uphill battle not because they lack quality, but because the opportunity cost of leaving Fortnite, Call of Duty, or GTA Online is measured in established friend groups, open uped cosmetics, and muscle memory that spans years.
Fortnite and CoD Still Own Consoles
Steam's most-played list diverges sharply from the console rankings, reflecting PC's distinct audience and distribution model. Fortnite does not appear on Steam at all, which immediately reshapes the top of the chart. In its place, indie titles Meccha Chameleon and Slay the Spire 2 sit in the top 10 alongside long-running staples. Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 appear on Steam but are absent from both console top 20s, suggesting stronger PC retention for those titles or different audience overlap.
Perhaps most striking is Deadlock sitting at number seven on Steam despite remaining in an invite-only beta. The MOBA shooter has not officially launched, yet its engagement already outpaces most released games on the platform. One can only imagine how high it will climb once the gates open fully. Eurogamer's Robert Purchese described Slay the Spire 2 in early access review as:
"a deceptively familiar sequel whose confidence in what [it] is [what] shines through"
Robert Purchese, Eurogamer
Fortnite Still Crowns, But the Crown’s Tipping
Top spots on the console charts feel stuck, but that isn’t a bad thing: the titles there keep drawing millions of players because they keep delivering what people want. The downside is the steep hill any developer faces when they try to launch a new multiplayer or live‑service game. Today, getting into the top 20 on PlayStation or Xbox means you need a name that already resonates, a huge marketing push, or a sudden viral moment like Palworld had for a moment. The fact that only one fresh title per platform ever cracked the top 20 in a single week shows the gate to staying relevant has never been higher.
A player’s bottom line is simple: stick to titles that keep a healthy player base, quick matchmaking, and steady updates. Those titles are usually the standard favourites, and they’ll keep doing the trick. If you crave variety, Steam’s lineup—powered by a vibrant indie scene—gives you a wider selection. The console charts might stay fairly the same in the coming weeks or even a year. Knowing why they’re stuck like that lets you set realistic hopes for what “new” can bring in 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Fortnite ranks as the most-played game on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S by weekly active users in the US
- PlayStation and Xbox top 10 lists are nearly identical, dominated by live service games and annual sports titles
- Only one new game appears in each platform's top 20: Shift at Midnight on Xbox, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls beta on PlayStation
- Steam's most-played list is more diversified, featuring indie games and titles absent from console charts like Helldivers 2 and Deadlock
The Bad Gamer Take
Epic Games will continue to dominate the most-played lists on PlayStation and Xbox because their free-to-play model and consistent updates for Fortnite keep players engaged. This stagnation at the top will likely persist, with Fortnite and Call of Duty maintaining their strong presence. WATCH the performance of Palworld, the only non-established franchise to crack the top 10, to see if it can sustain its player base and potentially disrupt the status quo.
Circana's data will continue to track whether any upcoming releases can crack the fortress. For now, the most-played lists on PlayStation and Xbox read less like a leaderboard and more like a monument to the games that defined the last decade — and the ones still defining the present.
