Steam's #4 Most-Played Game vs GTA 6 This Week
A game nobody was searching for a week ago sat at #4 on Steam's concurrent-player chart.
Every gaming headline this week was about GTA 6. But look at what was actually running on Steam's most-played chart, and the picture changes — one name on it barely existed as a search term a week earlier. Here's the console side too, plus what's actually free to play tonight.
The week GTA 6 broke Netflix
Rockstar Games and Netflix dropped a 27-minute special called "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" on August 27. It became Netflix's single most-watched title that week across the entire platform, pulling 31.1 million views (Variety, GameSpot). GTA 6 itself launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. On paper, that should have made it the week's clear #1 search story.
But Steam's #4 most-played spot wasn't GTA 6 or CS2
Here's Steam's top 5 by concurrent players, measured September 1, 2026 (SteamPulse tracking).
- Counter-Strike 2: 497,927
- Dota 2: 341,700
- FiveM: 140,896
- Bongo Cat (free): 139,255
- Valheim: 132,470
CS2 and Dota 2 are always near the top. The surprise is #4. Bongo Cat is a completely free novelty where a cat on your taskbar reacts to every keystroke or click. It launched in March 2025, has hit a peak of 193,859 concurrent players, and sits at 97% positive reviews (Insider Gaming, SteamPulse). It's not a new release and it's not a AAA title — and it still outranked Rust and GTA V this week.
Consoles told a completely different story — PS5's August downloads
PlayStation's official blog published August 2026's PS5 download charts, and almost nothing overlaps with Steam's list.
- Top paid: Madden NFL 27 · Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls · Call of Duty: Black Ops II · No More Room in Hell 2 · Hell Let Loose: Vietnam · EA Sports College Football 27 · Minecraft · Halo: Campaign Evolved · Palworld · Star Wars Zero Company
- Top free-to-play: Fortnite · Roblox · Once Human · Marvel Rivals · Rainbow Six Siege (free access)
Two sports titles (Madden, College Football) sitting side by side in the paid top 10 is a pattern that repeats every August, when the football season kicks off. The real takeaway from this week's numbers is how differently the two platforms' charts read.
So what's actually worth downloading tonight
If you've got 5 minutes — Bongo Cat
Who it's for: anyone who wants to open something with zero setup and zero tutorial. First few minutes: every click or keystroke gets a reaction from the cat, and that's the entire game. What's good: it's free and takes almost no storage. What's not: it's closer to a desktop toy than a game, so it doesn't hold attention long. Cost to play free: completely free, no payment options exist at all.
If you want something free that lasts — KickCat
Who it's for: people who like opening something for 5-10 minutes on a commute or before bed. First few minutes: your first run hands you 3 skill cards to choose from within 3 minutes. What's good: this cat is a coward, which is why it wears a helmet — it charges in with its eyes closed, and every single enemy across all 300 stages is a dog. What's not: there's no iOS version yet, and reaching the back half of Hard difficulty without spending takes a real time investment. Cost to play free: free on Google Play with ads and in-app purchases; idle rewards cap at 12 hours, so checking in twice a day keeps you from losing any.
If you like collecting and growing things — Palworld
Who it's for: players who care most about catching and raising creatures. It's currently sitting in PS5's August top 10 downloads, which means new players are still picking it up. Cost to play free: it's a one-time purchase, so check current pricing on Steam or PS5 before deciding.
Curious about KickCat's actual numbers? The item codex publishes all 24 ball types and upgrade math directly, and Churu Road shows how the stage structure works. For last week's dedicated look at the US charts, see the previous post.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Bongo Cat?
Bongo Cat is a completely free Steam novelty where a cat on your screen reacts to every keystroke or mouse click. It launched in March 2025 and reached #4 on Steam's most-played chart with 139,255 concurrent players on September 1, 2026 (SteamPulse).
When does GTA 6 come out?
GTA 6 launches November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A 27-minute extended-look special that Netflix released on August 27 became the platform's single most-watched title that week, with 31.1 million views.
What can I play for free right now?
Bongo Cat is completely free with no payment options at all. KickCat is a free install with ads and in-app purchases, and its ball stats and upgrade curves are published directly on the item codex.