About MMO Populations
Explore our estimated MMO population ranking and the readings behind each game. Rank ranges show how positions change with different platform assumptions; game pages show the latest source counts and history.
Start with the question you want to answer
Use the population ranking to compare games, Steam and publisher counts to see who is online, and the activity pages to follow changes over time. Each reading carries its source and time.
What we show
- Steam players online: a count through Steam at the stated check time. See the recent readings.
- Past 24-hour average and high: the average and highest of our collected Steam readings in the past day.
- Steam weekly change: the change in average players online through Steam between two covered weeks.
- Week-to-week steadiness: the consistency view orders games by the smallest change in weekly Steam averages.
- Daily source history: a day's average Steam and Twitch readings when enough hours were checked.
- Publisher live counters: EVE Online's official server count and Jagex's Old School RuneScape counter show players online across their reported scope.
- Estimated population ranking: our ranking combines recent readings with assumptions about platform coverage. Its ranges show how positions shift under those assumptions.
- Recent activity: today's readings show Steam players online and Twitch viewers with their check times.
How we estimate and check the ranking
How the population ranking works
We start with recent Steam player counts and account for how much play may happen outside Steam. For games without Steam, our model compares current Twitch and Reddit signals with games that have Steam readings. A held-out check tests how well that model orders Steam games.
The listed position is our central estimate. The range shows positions reached under different platform-share and model-error assumptions. Games need a recent usable source to enter the ranking.
Daily-player totals
Our ranking compares likely population size. A daily-player total asks how many people played during a day. Our older totals used a single conversion from Steam players online across games. Restoring those totals calls for game-specific checks against matching publisher daily-player figures.
How we check a model
We freeze predictions before new source reports appear, then compare them with publisher figures for the same game, period, unit, and platform scope. This lets us measure error on matching data.
We use results across games and dates to refine the model and show how much uncertainty remains.
What other signals mean
- Reddit subscribers show community size. Reddit no longer supplies its old online-community activity field to our feed.
- Twitch viewers show the audience watching game streams.
- Coverage and freshness show which source readings are available and when they were checked.
Data sources
We use public aggregate readings and do not expose private user information. When a source stops reporting a measure, we mark it unavailable rather than treating the missing value as zero.
Contact
Questions or partnerships? Email hello [at] mmo-population.com.