Methodology
This page explains how we collect data from Steam and calculate trending scores. We break down the weights, bonuses, and adjustments that go into our rankings.
Data Collection
We pull data from Steam's public APIs every few hours. This includes player counts, top seller rankings, wishlist positions, reviews, and game news. Everything comes from Steam's official endpoints.
Primary Data Sources
- Steam Web API: App metadata, player counts, and activity metrics
- Steam Store API: Featured games, top sellers list, wishlist rankings, pricing, and discount data
- Steam Reviews API: Review counts, sentiment ratios, and review velocity
- Steam News Feeds: Official game announcements, updates, and media coverage timing
Update Frequency: Player counts refresh every few hours, store rankings update daily, and review data updates multiple times per day. Check the timestamps on listing pages to see when data was last refreshed.
How We Calculate Scores
We use two scoring systems: Trending Score for released games and Hype Score for unreleased games. They work differently because what matters for a game that's already out is different from what matters for one that hasn't launched yet.
Trending Score (Released Games)
The Trending Score shows which games are gaining momentum right now. Here's what we look at:
Primary Factors (Base Weights)
Where the game ranks on Steam's top sellers list. This is the strongest signal of what's actually selling.
How fast the player count is growing or shrinking over the past week.
Daily player changes and sudden viral spikes.
Where it sits on the wishlist charts.
Weekly growth percentage.
What percentage of reviews are positive.
How many new reviews it's getting per day.
How fast it's climbing or dropping in the wishlist rankings.
Recent game updates and announcements.
Bonus Multipliers
Size Adjustments
To keep things fair, we adjust scores based on game size. This prevents weird results where tiny percentage changes on small games look bigger than they actually are.
Example: A game going from 10 to 50 players (400% growth) gets adjusted scoring compared to one going from 10,000 to 15,000 players (50% growth), so real market impact matters more than percentages.
Hype Score (Unreleased Games)
The Hype Score shows what people are excited about before a game launches. Since unreleased games don't have player counts or sales yet, we look at different things:
Primary Factors (Base Weights)
The main signal. Best way to measure pre-launch interest.
How fast it's climbing the wishlist charts.
How recent the game's announcements are.
How many articles came out in the last week.
How close the launch date is. Games releasing in 7 days get max score.
Bonus Multipliers
How Rankings Convert to Scores
We convert Steam rankings into 0-100 point scores. Top positions get way more points than lower ones:
Updates & Changes
We tweak the scoring over time based on what we see working. Major changes get announced on this page.
Current Version: v2.1 (October 2025)
- Split into two systems (Trending vs Hype) with different weights
- Bumped Growth Velocity from 20% to 30% for released games
- Added size adjustments to keep scores fair
- Added viral player bonuses for new releases (first 14 days only)
Limitations
- Regional Focus: Steam's rankings tend to favor Western markets, so our scores reflect that same bias.
- API Changes: When Steam updates their APIs, we need to adjust how we collect data. This can sometimes cause brief gaps.
- No Revenue Numbers: Steam doesn't share actual sales figures. We use rankings and player counts as the best available proxy for how well games are doing.
What Problems Does This Solve?
Steam's own lists are limited. They show you what's selling or what's new, but they miss a lot of what's actually interesting right now. Our scoring fixes that.
Finding Old Games That Just Got Hot
A game from 2020 suddenly gets a massive update and player counts spike 500%. Steam's "New & Trending" won't show it because it's not new. Their Top Sellers might not either if it's growing fast but hasn't hit huge sales yet. Our system catches this because we look at growth velocity and momentum, not just recency or absolute sales.
Spotting What's About to Blow Up
Sometimes a game is climbing fast across multiple signals at once: players are growing, reviews are pouring in, and news coverage is picking up. That's momentum. We combine these signals so you can catch games before they peak, not after everyone already knows about them.
Filtering Out Noise from Tiny Games
A game going from 5 to 25 players looks like 400% growth. That's not trending, that's statistical noise. Our size adjustments keep these anomalies from clogging up the rankings while still giving smaller games a fair shot once they hit real traction.
How Is This Different from Steam's Lists?
Steam has great data but limited ways to surface it. Here's how we do things differently:
Steam Top Sellers
What it shows: Games making the most money right now based on revenue.
What it misses: Free games, games with huge player spikes that aren't selling yet, and games trending down despite still being in the top 100.
Our approach: We use Top Sellers as 30% of the score, then add growth velocity, player momentum, review activity, and more. This catches games gaining traction even if they're not top earners yet.
Steam New & Trending
What it shows: Recent releases getting attention.
What it misses: Older games making comebacks. A 3-year-old game that just dropped a massive expansion and doubled its player count won't show up here.
Our approach: Release date doesn't matter to us. We look at what's growing right now. If an old game is suddenly hot, it scores high. We do give new releases a bonus (1.2x to 1.3x for the first couple weeks) but it's not required to rank.
Steam Wishlists
What it shows: Games people want to buy eventually.
What it misses: Actual momentum. A game can sit in the top 10 wishlisted for months without moving. That's not trending, that's just popular.
Our approach: We track wishlist velocity, not just position. A game climbing 100 ranks in a week signals real momentum. For unreleased games, we combine wishlist rank (50%), wishlist velocity (15%), and news activity (25%) to predict what's actually building hype versus what's just been anticipated forever.
Who Is This For?
Players Looking for What's Hot Right Now
You want to know what everyone's playing this week, not what was popular last month. Check our trending page for games with real momentum across multiple signals.
Content Creators Hunting for Topics
Catch games before they peak. If a game is climbing fast across player counts, reviews, and news coverage, that's your cue to cover it before everyone else does.
Developers Watching the Market
See what types of games are gaining traction. Track how updates and sales affect rankings. Our hype scores show what's building anticipation before launch.
Gamers Who Want Hidden Gems
Our system rewards quality and momentum over raw popularity. Games with great reviews and growing player bases rank well even if they're not mainstream hits yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions or Feedback
Spot something that doesn't look right? Have suggestions? Reach out through our contact page.