rawg.io

A RAWG.io profile is a personal game library tied to the site's database: you collect games into one place, see what friends are playing, and use that activity plus RAWG's discovery features to pick your next game. It's most useful if you already track games across multiple platforms and want a single list, or if you want social signals rather than just editorial recommendations. The site's own description frames it exactly this way — "Keep all games in one profile. See what friends are playing, and find your next great game."

Keeping all your games in one profile

The core value is consolidation. RAWG is a video game database, and a profile attaches your own status to entries in that database instead of leaving you with scattered notes, store wishlists, and memory.

What this typically means in practice:

• One list across platforms. Because entries are database records rather than store listings, a game lives in your profile regardless of which console or store you'd buy it on.
• Status per game. You mark where you stand with each title, so the profile doubles as a backlog and a history rather than a plain wishlist.
• A single place to look. Instead of checking three storefronts to remember what you meant to play, you check one profile.

The practical test: if you currently keep a backlog in a notes app, a spreadsheet, or nothing at all, a profile replaces that. If you only ever play one series on one platform and never lose track, the benefit is smaller.

Seeing what friends are playing

The social layer is the second half of the pitch. RAWG's description pairs "keep all games in one profile" with "see what friends are playing," which means your profile is also an input into what you see from others.

This matters because friend activity is a different kind of signal than a store's recommendation row. A store suggests what it wants to sell you; a friend's activity suggests what someone you know actually chose to spend time on. For discovery, that's often a better filter than a popularity chart.

Two conditions apply:

• It depends on having friends on the platform. Friend activity is only as useful as the number of people you actually know who use RAWG. With no connections, this part of the profile does nothing for you.
• It's a signal, not a review. Seeing that a friend is playing something tells you they picked it up, not that they liked it. Treat it as a lead to investigate, not a verdict.

Finding your next game

The third function is discovery, and it's where the profile connects back to the database. RAWG surfaces games through its own browsing, and the homepage shows a "New and trending" section that the site describes as "Based on player counts and release date," with controls to order by relevance and to filter by platform.

That gives you two distinct discovery paths:

A sensible loop: browse or filter by your platform to build a shortlist, check whether anyone you know is playing any of it, then add the ones that survive to your profile. The profile isn't just an archive — it's the shortlist you keep coming back to.

When a RAWG profile is worth it

It's a good fit if you play across more than one platform, lose track of what you meant to play, and want recommendations grounded in real player activity rather than ads. It's a weaker fit if you play a single game or series, don't keep a backlog, and have no interest in the social side — in that case the profile is mostly overhead.

One thing the available site information doesn't establish: whether profiles, friend features, or any part of the service require an account or carry limits. The description implies a profile exists to be kept, but nothing here confirms sign-up requirements or terms, so check the site directly before assuming what's open to you.

RAWG.io's "New and trending" section is driven by two stated inputs: player counts and release date. The site labels the list "Based on player counts and release date," so a game's position reflects a combination of how many people are engaging with it and how recently it launched — not a single fixed ranking. The visible numbers next to each title (for example, Valheim at 4,792 or Grand Theft Auto VI at 410) are the clearest signal of that activity metric, and they change as player behavior shifts.

The two ranking inputs

RAWG describes the list as based on:

• Player counts — how much active engagement a game is drawing. Higher counts push a title up.
• Release date — recency matters, so newly released or upcoming games can surface even before they have large player bases.

Because both factors feed the same list, a brand-new game with modest activity can appear alongside an older title with a large, sustained player base. The ordering is a blend, not a strict sort by either value alone.

What the numbers mean

Each entry shows a number beside the title. In the page evidence these range widely — from Valheim's 4,792 down to single- or double-digit figures like Duskfade at 8 or 1666: Amsterdam at 10. The pattern is consistent with a player-count or popularity indicator: bigger numbers sit near the top of the visible set, smaller ones lower down. RAWG does not label the exact unit in the excerpt, so treat the figure as a relative activity signal rather than a precise live player total.

Why the list changes over time

The section is explicitly framed as "New and trending," and the page offers controls that reinforce this:

• Order by: Relevance — the default sort, which applies the player-count/release-date logic.
• Platforms and Display options — filters that let you narrow what you see.
• Pagination (pages 1–4 shown) — the list is longer than one screen, so lower-ranked games remain reachable.

As releases happen and player activity rises or falls, entries move in, out, and up or down. A game trending today may drop off as its player count declines or as newer titles arrive.

Practical takeaways

• If you want the current pulse of the platform, check this section first — it surfaces what people are actually playing right now.
• Don't read the number as a review score or quality rating; it reflects activity, not critical merit.
• Use the platform filter and sort options to reshape the list around your own interests rather than accepting the default relevance order.
• Revisit periodically, since the ranking is designed to shift with release timing and engagement.

RAWG.io is a video game discovery service and database that lets you browse games, filter them by platform, sort by relevance or release date, and maintain a personal game profile. It's useful if you want one place to track what you're playing, see what friends are playing, and find your next game without jumping between store pages and review sites.

What RAWG.io actually is

RAWG describes itself as "The Biggest Video Game Database" and a "Video Game Discovery Service." In practice, that means two connected things:

• A database you browse — game entries organized so you can search, sort, and filter them.
• A profile you keep — a personal collection of games tied to your account, which also lets you see what friends are playing.

The discovery angle is the point: the site is built to move you from "I don't know what to play" to a shortlist of candidates.

What you can do on the homepage

The homepage surfaces a "New and trending" section. According to the page, this list is "Based on player counts and release date," so it mixes what's popular right now with what's recent.

Two controls sit above the list:

The list itself is paginated — the page shows numbered pages (1, 2, 3, 4 >), so you can keep browsing beyond the first screen.

Examples of titles appearing in the trending list include Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, Enshrouded, Path of Exile 2, Valheim, Grand Theft Auto VI, and Marvel's Wolverine. Some entries carry a number next to them (for example, Valheim at 4,792 or Prince of Persia at 443), which reflects the player-count signal the ranking is based on.

How to use it to find your next game

A practical workflow:

1. Open the "New and trending" section to see what's currently drawing players.
2. Set the Platforms filter to the hardware you actually own, so you don't waste time on games you can't play.
3. Switch "Order by" between Relevance and other options depending on whether you want the most prominent results or a different ranking.
4. Page through the results rather than stopping at the first screen — the list runs across multiple pages.
5. Open a game's entry to decide whether it's worth adding to your profile.

The expected result is a shortlist of games matched to your platform and current interest, rather than an open-ended search.

The profile side: tracking and friends

Beyond browsing, RAWG positions itself around keeping "all games in one profile." Two stated uses:

• See what friends are playing — social context for your next pick.
• Find your next great game — the discovery goal the whole site is oriented around.

This is the difference between RAWG and a plain database: the profile turns browsing into a personal list you return to.

What RAWG is not

Based on the available page content, RAWG is a discovery and database layer, not a storefront. The page evidence covers browsing, filtering, sorting, and profiles — it does not show pricing, purchase flows, or payment platforms. So treat it as a place to decide what to play, not necessarily where you buy it.

Who it's for

• Players with a backlog problem who want a ranked, filterable view of what's new and popular.
• Multi-platform owners who need to filter by the systems they own.
• People who like social signals and want to see friends' activity alongside their own list.

If you only ever play one game and never look for the next one, a discovery database adds little. If you regularly ask "what should I play next?", the combination of trending rankings, platform filters, and a personal profile is the reason to use it.

RAWG.io's homepage is built around a New and trending list that you can sort and filter without creating an account. To browse it, open rawg.io and use the controls directly above the game grid: an Order by selector (set to Relevance by default) and a Platforms filter. The list is paginated, so you move through it with the numbered page links at the bottom rather than scrolling indefinitely.

What the homepage actually shows

The default view is a grid of game entries under the heading New and trending, described on the page as being based on player counts and release date. Each entry combines a title with a number next to it — for example, Valheim shows 4,792, Grand Theft Auto VI shows 410, and Enshrouded shows 290. That number reflects the player-count signal the ranking is built on, so a high figure means more people are currently engaging with that game rather than it simply being new.

The grid mixes unreleased and announced titles (Gears of War: E-Day, Silent Hill Townfall, Metro 2039) with games already out (Valheim, Path of Exile 2). Some entries carry a Play full video label, meaning a trailer is attached to that listing.

Sorting the list

Use the Order by dropdown to change how results are ranked. The page confirms Relevance as the default option, and the trending list itself is ordered by player counts and release date. Changing this control re-orders the same set of games rather than starting a new search — useful when you want recent releases surfaced ahead of the most-played ones.

Filtering by platform

The Platforms control narrows the grid to games available on a specific system. This is the fastest way to answer "what's trending that I can actually play on my console or PC." Combine it with Order by when you want, for example, recent titles on one platform rather than the overall cross-platform ranking.

Moving through results

The list does not load everything at once. Page numbers 1 2 3 4 > sit at the bottom of the grid, with the arrow advancing to the next page. Work through them in order; each page keeps your current sort and platform settings applied.

A practical browsing routine

1. Open rawg.io and land on New and trending.
2. Set Platforms to the system you own.
3. Set Order by to match your goal — Relevance for the site's default mix, or another option if you want recency emphasized.
4. Scan the grid, noting the player-count number as a popularity signal.
5. Use the page numbers to continue past the first screen.
6. Click any title to open its detail page for more than the grid shows.

Common snags

• The number next to a title isn't a rating. It tracks the player-count signal behind the trending rank, so a low number on an unreleased game is expected.
• Trending isn't the same as best-reviewed. The list is explicitly driven by player counts and release date, so critically strong older games won't appear here.
• Filters persist as you paginate. If results look narrower than expected, check whether a platform filter is still active before assuming the list is short.
• Unreleased titles appear alongside playable ones. Don't treat every grid entry as something you can play today.