Sony is testing a new PS5 feature that shows how many people are actively playing games each week. For the first time, PlayStation users can see real player numbers directly on their console’s home screen.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is testing a new social feature for the PS5 that lets users view the weekly active player count for the top 10 games. The widget shows which games are being played the most by players in your region. Selecting “Top 10” shows the current week’s most popular games. Selecting “Trending Now” displays the games that are surging in popularity.
If you have been selected to test the feature, you will see a pop-up that reads: Available for a limited time. The Community Activity (Beta) widget shows which games are being played the most by players in your country. Select [Top 10] to see this week’s most popular games. Select [Trending Now] to show which games and modes are surging in popularity right now.
The widget lives inside the PS5 Welcome Hub and is currently limited to beta program participants. There is no confirmed timeline for when this update will roll out to all PS5 consoles, but multiple beta insiders report receiving the latest update with the Player Count Widget.
The widget has two modes, each showing different data. The second ranking is a trending list based on big jumps in player activity week-to-week. It does not show total weekly players for these games, but it does break out other metrics like the percentage jump in total playtime.
The Trending Now widget prioritizes games that experience large increases in player numbers over a short period. This applies particularly to indie titles growing through viral effects or streamers, games after major content updates or DLC releases, and older titles getting a boost through sales or pop culture.
This makes the Trending tab useful for spotting games that just received a big patch or a wave of attention online, even if they are not in the overall top 10.
British underground rap star EsDeeKid has officially landed in Fortnite’s prestigious Icon Series, and fans of the battle royale have already started rushing to grab his exclusive cosmetics.
The EsDeeKid Fortnite skin was released in the Fortnite Store on May 15, 2026, at 8 PM ET, seemingly coming out of nowhere, as we hadn’t seen any prior leaks hinting at its arrival.
If you’re a fan of EsDeeKid and can’t wait to get your hands on his new bundle, look no further.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to get the EsDeeKid skin in Fortnite.
Fortnite EsDeeKid Bundle: Price and Contents
The full EsDeeKid bundle in Fortnite costs 3,400 V-Bucks and includes multiple themed cosmetics inspired by the artist, such as an Outfit with multiple style variants, a Back Bling, Pickaxe, Emote, Wrap, Instrument (Mic), Sidekick, and Jam Tracks.
The EsDeeKid Outfit features multiple style variants alongside reactive effects that evolve during gameplay.
How to Get the EsDeeKid Skin in Fortnite
Below, we’ve listed the detailed steps that you need to follow to get the EsDeeKid skin in Fortnite:
Launch Fortnite.
Head over to the Item Shop tab located at the top bar.
Click on the EsDeeKid bundle or select the individual items that you want.
Click and hold the Purchase button.
Finish the transaction
Once you successfully complete the transaction process, you’ll be able to find your new EsDeeKid skin in your Fortnite locker.
Note that the EsDeeKid Fortnite skin is a limited-time cosmetic that’s only available for purchase until May 25, 2026, at 8 PM ET. We don’t know when it will return to the Fortnite Item Shop in the future, so don’t wait too long if you want to add this Icon Series skin to your collection.
Following nearly five years of constant anticipation within the gaming community, Forza Horizon 6 has finally launched and is currently in advanced access. Well, for Xbox and PC players, anyway.
At the time of writing, Forza Horizon 6 is only playable on the aforementioned platforms. PS5 owners are still unable to experience what is arguably the biggest racing game of the year, and potentially one of the biggest game launches of 2026 overall.
For the uninitiated, Forza Horizon 6 officially launched on May 15, 2026, for Premium Edition owners and will release on May 19 for everyone else on the Xbox Series X/S and PC. This has led many avid gamers to question whether Forza Horizon 6 will get a PS5 version or if the devs have decided to skip it entirely.
If you’re here to know more about the Forza Horizon 6 PS5 release date, we’ve got you covered.
Forza Horizon 6 PS5 Release Explained
If you’re a PS5 owner and you’re looking to play Forza Horizon 6 on your device, you can’t do so just yet. Fortunately, though, Microsoft has confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 will be playable on the PS5.
As stated by the company, Forza Horizon 6 will be arriving on the PS5 “later in 2026,” but an exact date hasn’t been announced as of yet.
The announcement came during the Xbox Developer Direct in January 2026, and while it confirmed PS5 support for FH6, it didn’t pinpoint any dates.
For the time being, fans can wishlist Forza Horizon 6 on the PlayStation Store. You should also keep an eye on upcoming State of Play broadcasts, since that’s likely where the official Forza Horizon 6 PS5 release date will be confirmed.
Round 3 of the BMPS 2026 Qualifiers starts today. After two weeks of promotion-relegation chaos, 64 teams are back in the lobby from May 16 to 19, fighting for position in India’s biggest BGMI tournament of the year.
What Is BMPS 2026 and What Is at Stake
The Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series 2026 is Krafton India’s flagship BGMI tournament, featuring a Rs. 2 Crore prize pool with Rs. 60 lakh going to the champion. All 16 Grand Finalists earn a share of the prize money.
The stakes go beyond cash. The BMPS 2026 champion earns a direct spot at the PUBG Mobile World Cup 2026 in Riyadh in August, representing India on the global stage. A second EWC 2026 slot is also on the table for the team leading the overall Krafton India Esports (KIE) Global Points leaderboard, meaning every finish point across every match of the Qualifiers carries international weight.
Round 3 Schedule and Stream
Round 3 runs May 16 to 19, 2026. Matches start at 3:30 PM IST daily on the Krafton India Esports YouTube channel. Each group plays six matches over the four-day window on Erangel, Miramar, and Rondo — the same three maps that have been in rotation across the full tournament.
How the Promotion and Relegation System Works
This is the first time BGMI’s biggest annual tournament has used a Promotion and Relegation format, and it has already reshuffled the field significantly after two rounds. The rules are straightforward but brutal.
After every six-match round, the top four teams from Groups B, C, and D move up one tier — into Groups A, B, and C respectively. The bottom four from Groups A, B, and C drop down one tier. Teams ranked 5th to 12th in each group stay put. After all four rounds are complete, the bottom eight teams in Group D are eliminated from BMPS 2026 entirely with no second chance.
The full pathway from Qualifiers to Grand Finals works like this: the top eight Group A teams after Round 4 qualify directly for the Grand Finals in Jaipur. Everyone else drops into the Survival Stage (June 2-5), Semifinals (June 9-12), or the Last Chance stage (June 13-14) before the final 16 are determined.
Round 3 Group A: The Strongest Lobby in Indian BGMI
Group A heading into Round 3 is packed with names that define the current Indian BGMI scene. iQOO Soul, the defending BGIS 2026 champions, are here alongside iQOO Orangutan, currently ranked first on the Krafton India Global Points table. Genesis Esports, runners-up at BGIS, are also in the mix. GodLike Esports, now led by Manya following Jonathan’s departure, and Revenant XSpark round out the elite tier.
Also in Group A for Round 3: Learn From Past, Wyld Fangs, K9 Esports, WindGod, 7Gods Esports, White Walkers, Nebula Esports, Victores Sumus, iQOO Team Tamilas, iQOO Reckoning Esports, and Divine Gaming.
GodLike, K9, and WindGod are all noted as having underperformed in Round 2. For GodLike in particular, this is a critical stretch — the rebuilt roster with Saumay replacing Jonathan needs a strong showing to justify the rebuild narrative.
Teams That Moved Up After Round 2
Round 2 produced some significant stories in the lower groups. Vasista Esports, led by Hector, topped Group B with a dominant 90 points, two Chicken Dinners, and 62 eliminations — the standout performance of Round 2 outside Group A. H4KX (58 pts), WELT, and Genesis also earned promotion to Group A.
In Group C, True Rippers (led by Punk) topped the standings with 61 points without a single Chicken Dinner — a consistency-over-chicken approach that paid off. Godsent, 4TR, and Gods Reign also climbed into Group B for Round 3.
One team to watch in the lower groups: Team Apex Gaming, Jonathan Amaral’s new organisation formed after he left GodLike in April. TAG finished 6th in Group C in Round 2 with 48 points — respectable but short of promotion. Round 3 is where they need to start climbing if the EWC slot ambitions are real.
What Comes Next After Round 3
One more qualifier round follows Round 3, running at the end of May. The full Qualifiers stage wraps up May 31. From there, the Survival Stage, Semifinals, and Last Chance rounds determine who joins the top Group A qualifiers in Jaipur for the Grand Finals. With two EWC slots on the line and Rs. 2 Crore to fight for, every lobby from today forward matters.
The Quarter Finals of the PGL Astana 2026 are wrapped, with the results going just as critics expected, except for a few upsets going the other way. With the stage concluding, we will present the results for this stage and the next one.
In a match where Aurora were expected to give a tough fight, with MOUZ playing on a new roster, the Russian squad pushed the first map close before MOUZ edged it out by the skin of their teeth to take an early lead. Following a tight first map, MOUZ managed to ease past Aurora on the next map, resulting in a gritty yet decisive win.
With no clear favourites coming into the game, given the poor run of form from both sides, G2 failed to bring their best, leading to Spirit speedrunning over G2 in back-to-back maps. G2 never got going, leading Spirit to have a field day with donk leading the charts as they book their semi-finals spot with little effort.
Despite 9Z having a dominant start, Magic stunned them to take away the first map. 9Z responded in the second with a stunning performance with a 13-2 win to level the scoreline. The best map came in the final game of the series, where both teams fought neck and neck, only for Magic to come out as the unexpected victor.
In what could only be described as one of the best matches of the season, both teams losing out on their own map pick ensured the final map was what decided who would go through. The final map encompassed stellar moments as it took 3 overtimes for the Falcons to edge out the battle of resilience.
Forza Horizon 6 is confirmed for PS5, but PS5 players will not be getting it at launch alongside Xbox and PC.
Forza Horizon 6 is coming to PlayStation 5 “later in 2026.” That was confirmed at the Xbox Developer Direct in January. The game’s first gameplay was shown at that event on January 22, 2026.
The game is already available to wishlist on the PlayStation Store, and players will be notified when it becomes available.
When Does Forza Horizon 6 Launch on Xbox and PC?
Forza Horizon 6 was confirmed for a May 19, 2026, release on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access beginning on May 15 for Premium Edition owners.
Microsoft and developer Playground Games have not confirmed a specific release date for the PS5 edition. The “later in 2026” window is all that has been officially shared.
Craig Duncan from Xbox told GamesRadar that “when a strategy changes, maybe you’ve got a plan that exists with a game and maybe you can adopt that, maybe you can’t.” He also acknowledged that “sometimes we are inconsistent. You see some games in one place, some games in multiple places.”
Why the Staggered Release?
Microsoft has not explained specifically why it is staggering the console releases for Forza Horizon 6. The company does not have a consistent approach across all its titles. Gears of War Reloaded in 2025, for instance, launched on the same day across all platforms. The upcoming Fable reboot, also from Playground Games, is set for simultaneous release this fall.
The delay is partly attributed to strategy changes late in development.
What Happened With Forza Horizon 5 on PS5?
Forza Horizon 5 launched in November 2021 for Xbox and PC, and did not come to PS5 until April 2025. That gap was longer because Microsoft did not announce its updated multiplatform strategy until early 2024. When it arrived on PS5, the game generated $300 million in revenue on Sony’s platform.
Forza Horizon 6 is on Xbox Game Pass as a day-one release. It arrives on May 19 for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. However, not every Game Pass plan gets it. If you are on a lower tier, you will need to upgrade or buy the game separately.
Which Game Pass Tiers Include Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6 is available on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate from day one. It is not available on Game Pass Essential, Game Pass Premium, or the new Starter tier.
Game Pass Ultimate costs $22.99 a month, while PC Game Pass costs $13.99. Both give you the Standard Edition of Forza Horizon 6 at no extra cost on launch day.
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members will have access to the Forza Horizon 6 Standard Edition included at no additional cost and will be able to play the full game on Xbox Series X|S (Ultimate only), PC, and Cloud Gaming.
What the Standard Edition Covers on Game Pass
Only the Standard Edition of the game is part of Game Pass. That means you get the full base game, but none of the premium extras.
If you want to play the game a few days early on May 15, you need to pre-order the $120 / £110 Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition, which does not require a Game Pass subscription. That edition also includes two post-launch expansions, two Car Packs, the Welcome Pack, the Car Pass, and VIP membership.
The Premium Upgrade Bundle for Game Pass Subscribers
Game Pass subscribers who want early access and premium content without buying the full Premium Edition have another option. If you already plan to play Forza Horizon 6 through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, there is a special Forza Horizon 6 Premium Upgrade Bundle that removes the base game, since it assumes you already have access through Game Pass. It is available on the Xbox Store at $59.99 / £59.99.
The Premium Upgrade includes VIP Membership, the Welcome Pack, the Time Attack Car Pack, and the Car Pass, which delivers 30 new cars to your game one per week. It also includes the Italian Passion Car Pack and two premium post-launch expansions.
The Upgrade Bundle includes early access, VIP Membership, a Welcome Pack, a Time Attack Car Pack, a Car Pass with 30 cars delivered weekly, the Italian Passion Car Pack, and two post-launch expansions.
Forza Horizon 6 is available on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Forza Horizon 6 is also verified for Steam Deck and optimized for PC gaming handhelds at launch on May 19.
Forza Horizon 6 is also coming to PlayStation 5 consoles later in 2026. That PS5 version will not be part of any Game Pass plan.
Valve has shipped out a new update to Counter-Strike 2, and while it doesn’t introduce the much-anticipated Armory update to the shooter, it does bring with it a notable change never before seen in the history of CS.
Last week, the CS2 devs added the Nightmode 2 Music Kits to the game. Unlike previous Music Kit collections we’ve seen in the game, the Nightmode 2 kits were made available for individual purchase through the in-game store, marking a departure from the traditional case-opening system that CS players have grown accustomed to over the years.
This time around, the Nightmode 2 kits are introducing yet another first for CS2 – secret MVP anthems.
Following the May 15 CS2 patch, all Nightmode 2 Music Kits will have a secondary MVP track that will only play at a 1:5 ratio, making them an occasional pleasant surprise for players at the end of rounds.
Apart from this change to the Music Kits, the new CS2 update also brings several improvements to Cache, alongside other changes.
May 15 CS2 Update: Patch Notes Revealed
Below, we’ve listed the detailed patch notes for the May 15 CS2 update, as confirmed by Valve:
[ MAPS ]
Cache
Fixed various holes in map
Fixed surfacetypes for various materials.
Added grating to some windows to make them block bullets.
Tweaks to player and grenade clipping.
[ MISC ]
Fixed a case where it was possible to cancel a grenade throw after the throw was started near the end of the pin pull animation.
Miscellaneous stability improvements.
[ TOOLS ]
Fixed bug that prevented the asset in use from being selected when model browser was opened.
Fixed bug with layered materials with same surface property on all layers.
[ MUSIC KITS ]
Added roundmvpanthem_02 for all NIGHTMODE II music kits which plays at 1:5 ratio.
The Esports World Cup 2026 is reportedly leaving Saudi Arabia. According to a GamesBeat report by Alexander Lee, the Esports Foundation has informed stakeholders that the event will move from Riyadh to Paris. No official confirmation has come from the EWC Foundation, but the report cites multiple sources with direct knowledge of the plans.
Why the Move Is Happening
The short answer: airlines. Over 2,500 players and team staff flew into Riyadh for EWC 2025. With the ongoing conflict in Iran causing major carriers to cancel and suspend flights to the Middle East through to October 2026, keeping a festival of this size in Saudi Arabia had become a serious logistical problem.
The conflict has already forced other major events out of the region. Formula 1 cancelled both the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April 12 and April 19 respectively, and entered a five-week hiatus as a result. Riyadh itself was struck by Iranian drones and missiles targeting the city and King Khalid International Airport in late February and early March, before a ceasefire was declared in April.
In March, the EWC Foundation confirmed the event would proceed as scheduled following those initial strikes. EWC CEO Ralf Reichert had publicly said he hoped the third edition would still be held in Riyadh. The Foundation has issued no update since that March statement, and the official EWC website still references Riyadh. The GamesBeat report is the most credible signal yet that those plans have quietly changed.
What EWC 2026 Is and Why the Stakes Are So High
This is not a small event that can relocate easily. EWC 2026 spans 25 competitions across 24 esports titles – Valorant, League of Legends, CS2, Dota 2, Overwatch, Rocket League, Fortnite Reload, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and more — running from July 6 to August 23. The total prize pool exceeds $75 million. The Club Partner Program covers 40 organisations worth $20 million. Last year, those 40 clubs generated over 330 million campaign views and activated more than 10 million fans globally.
Rosters were already locked by the April 30 deadline. Whatever happens with the venue, the competitive rosters and qualification processes for each title are set.
One specific complication worth flagging: CS2 is scheduled for the final two weeks of the event, August 12-23. EWC’s CS2 tournament this year features 32 teams — double the 2025 field — and a $2 million prize pool, a $750,000 increase from last year. Per Valve’s regulations, running the CS2 tournament in a new location or with a different format requires Valve to grant an explicit exception. Whether that process is already underway is not publicly known.
Sponsorship and Infrastructure Questions
The GamesBeat report addresses the financial side directly. The relocation is not expected to affect existing sponsorship agreements. In fact, some partners may benefit — many brands already have active European operations, and a Paris audience gives them proximity to fans that were harder to reach in Riyadh.
Sponsors whose primary audiences are in Saudi Arabia face more uncertainty, but solutions like expanded promotion rights in future events are reportedly being explored.
The harder problem is the physical one. EWC in Riyadh runs across multiple arenas simultaneously. Fans can move between venues, catching different titles on the same day. It creates a genuine esports festival atmosphere. Paris has plenty of arenas capable of hosting individual EWC events at scale — the Six Invitational 2026, which FaZe Clan won in February, was held there successfully — but replicating the multi-venue, walk-between-arenas experience of Riyadh across a major European city is a different operational challenge.
The EWC Foundation has declined to comment on the report. Early insider signals about a possible Paris move had been circulating since early May, and the GamesBeat report is the first with named sourcing confirming the Esports Foundation had directly communicated the change to stakeholders. An official announcement from the Foundation is now the only thing separating “reported” from “confirmed.”
With the event less than two months away, any delay in confirming the venue creates compounding problems for teams, broadcasters, and sponsors arranging travel, accommodation, and production. Watch this space closely.
The anticipation within the gaming community surrounding the release of GTA 6 may have just reached a new high, as recent leaks suggest that pre-orders for the Rockstar Games title are all set to go live next week.
A Best Buy affiliate email that got accidentally sent out early to select creators and affiliates might have revealed the start date for GTA 6 pre-orders. The email, sent via Impact, one of the leading affiliate partner marketplaces, points to a campaign window running from May 18 to May 21, specifically for the physical copy of the game.
GTA 6 pre-order is now confirmed for May 18, 2026. 🔥
Multiple people on the internet are claiming that they received an affiliate email from Best Buy regarding GTA 6 pre-order campaign. pic.twitter.com/BwdYkonFEK
— Grand Theft Auto 6 Alerts (@GTA6Alerts) May 14, 2026
Should this leak turn out to be true, it would not only put to rest the lingering fear of yet another delay but could also mean that the long-awaited GTA 6 Trailer 3 is finally right around the corner. A portion of the community also believes that the trailer might officially drop alongside the pre-order announcement.
Rockstar and Take-Two have not officially confirmed these dates at the time of writing, so take this news with a grain of salt. There’s no pricing detail in the email either, though the game is expected to retail at around $70-80 USD base price.
With that being said, the timing for the GTA 6 pre-order leaks makes complete sense. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has recently been doubling down on the November 19, 2026, release date while hinting that marketing would be ramping up very soon. Six months out is right around when you’d expect pre-orders for such a large-scale project to open.
GTA 6 Trailer 2, which was released over a year ago, has over 160 million hits as of yet. With that kind of demand, if Rockstar does decide to pull back the curtain next week, the internet is simply not going to be ready.
