Subnautica 2 has turned Steam's latest weekly most-played chart into a launch-week story, entering at No. 5 with a 372,644-player weekly peak while the usual PC giants stayed locked above it.
According to Steam's public most-played chart for the week dated May 16, 2026, Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and Dota 2 still hold the top three. The useful movement starts right after them: Subnautica 2 is new in the top 10, Marvel Rivals is back inside it and the original Subnautica made one of the week's biggest climbs lower down the list.
Steam's most-played games for the week of May 16
This table focuses on games, so Steam software and utility entries are not counted in the game-focused top 10.
| Steam rank | Game | Last week | Change | Weekly peak players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Counter-Strike 2 | 1 | 0 | 1,417,513 |
| 2 | PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 2 | 0 | 809,766 |
| 3 | Dota 2 | 3 | 0 | 626,606 |
| 5 | Subnautica 2 | New | New | 372,644 |
| 6 | Apex Legends | 5 | -1 | 289,475 |
| 7 | Slay the Spire 2 | 6 | -1 | 199,963 |
| 8 | R.E.P.O. | 7 | -1 | 105,586 |
| 9 | Marvel Rivals | 14 | +5 | 133,205 |
| 10 | Grand Theft Auto V Legacy | 8 | -2 | 86,206 |
| 11 | Geometry Dash | 9 | -2 | 89,527 |
The top three barely need explaining at this stage. Counter-Strike 2 remains in a tier of its own, PUBG is still Steam's battle royale heavyweight and Dota 2 keeps its usual hold near the front. Subnautica 2 is the break in that pattern, landing ahead of Apex Legends, Slay the Spire 2 and R.E.P.O. in its first weekly appearance.
Subnautica takes over the movement story
The sequel's chart entry follows a noisy early access launch. Gamers Now previously covered Subnautica 2 locking in its May 14 early access release, then the sequel clearing 2 million copies within 12 hours. Steam's own store page describes the game as an underwater survival adventure on a new alien world, playable solo or in four-player co-op.
The older Subnautica also jumped 81 places to No. 38, with a 41,004-player weekly peak. Its Steam store page was showing a 75% discount at the time of writing, so the comeback has a clear store-side reason alongside attention around the sequel.
That one-two movement is stronger than a normal sequel launch footnote. Subnautica 2 is pulling a huge audience into early access, while the original game is catching enough renewed attention to re-enter the top 40.
Marvel Rivals returns after Season 8
Marvel Rivals made the other top-10 move, climbing from No. 14 to No. 9 with a 133,205-player weekly peak. The timing lines up with the game's official Season 8 update, which began on May 15 and added Devil Dinosaur, a new battle pass, the Devil Dino Hide and Seek event, Twitch Drops, esports hub changes and balance fixes in the official patch notes.
That is a cleaner explanation than most chart bumps. Marvel Rivals did not just drift back into the top 10, it returned during a major live-service reset with a new hero and fresh progression hooks.
The biggest fall by rank was Resident Evil Requiem, down 45 places to No. 93 with a 13,564-player weekly peak. Gamble With Your Friends fell 27 places to No. 63, while Far Far West dropped 25 places to No. 69. No specific update or event clearly explains those declines, so they read as momentum loss after stronger prior weeks.
War Thunder and Rainbow Six Siege slip out
Subnautica 2 and Marvel Rivals pushed War Thunder and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege out of the game-focused top 10. Neither collapse is dramatic: War Thunder is still No. 13 on Steam's overall ranking, while Rainbow Six Siege is No. 15.
That makes this week's chart less about the leaders changing and more about a survival sequel becoming too large to ignore. Steam's evergreen games are still doing what they always do, but Subnautica 2 gave the week a proper new-release shape instead of another static top-10 recap.