Popular Xbox games: April 3rd, 2023

This week's Xbox Gameplay Chart of popular Xbox games sees Forza Horizon 5 speeding back into the top five with the release of its Rally Adventure DLC, while MLB The Show 23 hits the top 20 after joining Game Pass.

It's been another busy week in the world of Xbox, and while the top spots might not have shifted too much since last week, there's been plenty of movement below. Following the release of its Rally Adventure expansion last week, Forza Horizon 5 jumps seven places to land a top five spot, overtaking Destiny 2 which loses its place and slides to 6th as Guardians start to wrap up their Lightfall duties for the time being. There's only minor movement elsewhere in the top ten and player counts remain extremely close, so expect those to continue to jostle for position even if the top flight continues to prove tough to crack for all bar the biggest releases.

On that note, MLB The Show 23 swings in to claim 13th this week after launching into Xbox Game Pass, one spot down on last year's debut but still an impressive opening for what is a relatively niche sports game compared to the big players. Elsewhere, the rest of the top 20 is once again really little more than a minor reshuffle, with the only casualty being Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, tumbling eight places to 25th as more and more players finish up Team Ninja's latest and move onto something else. Resident Evil 4 also manages to gain a place in its first full week, with the remake rising to 18th.

Looking at the rest of the chart, both Hellblade and Outriders see massive boosts thanks to Game Pass Quests, soaring in at 22nd and 37th respectively after not even being in the top 200 the previous week... Quests continue to put in work, even if many players are likely only coming back to these games to get their reward points and bounce. Five games bow out of the top 40 this week — Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, F1 22, Civilization VI, and Cities: Skylines - Remastered, as well as A Plague Tale: Requiem, which drops almost 100 places after having seen a massive Quests spike of its own last week.

April has a good few upcoming games that could make this chart interesting reading in the coming weeks, too. PGA Tour's free trial will likely help it towards a solid debut next week, with the likes of Minecraft Legends, Ghostwire Tokyo, and The Last Case of Benedict Fox all among the games coming to Game Pass soon, as well as some big releases elsewhere in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dead Island 2, and Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. Which will be next to make an impact on the chart, and where do you think they will land? Let us know down in the comments and in the meantime, here's the top 40 in full... have a great week!

Top 40 Xbox Gameplay Chart (w/e April 2nd, 2023)

Position	Game	Publisher	Last week
1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II	Activision	1
2	Fortnite	Epic Games	2
3	Minecraft	Xbox Game Studios	3
4	Grand Theft Auto V	Rockstar Games	4
5	Forza Horizon 5	Xbox Game Studios	12
6	Destiny 2	Bungie	5
7	Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege	Ubisoft	8
8	Rocket League	Psyonix	7
9	ROBLOX	Roblox	6
10	FIFA 23	Electronic Arts	9
11	Apex Legends	Electronic Arts	10
12	Overwatch 2	Blizzard Entertainment	11
13	MLB The Show 23	MLB	-
14	Halo Infinite	Xbox Game Studios	13
15	Hogwarts Legacy	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment	14
16	NBA 2K23	2K Sports	16
17	Madden NFL 23	Electronic Arts	15
18	Resident Evil 4	Capcom Entertainment	19
19	Battlefield 2042	Electronic Arts	20
20	Sea of Thieves	Xbox Game Studios	18
21	FIFA 22	Electronic Arts	21
22	Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice	Ninja Theory	RE
23	EA SPORTS UFC 4	Electronic Arts	22
24	Red Dead Redemption 2	Rockstar Games	25
25	Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty	KOEI TECMO	17
26	Fall Guys	Epic Games	27
27	Elden Ring	Bandai Namco Entertainment	23
28	Call of Duty: Black Ops III	Activision	29
29	Halo: The Master Chief Collection	Xbox Game Studios	31
30	Dead by Daylight	505 Games	30
31	PUBG: Battlegrounds	KRAFTON	33
32	Atomic Heart	Focus Entertainment	24
33	Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War	Activision	36
34	Far Cry 5	Ubisoft	32
35	SMITE	Hi-Rez Studios	RE
36	Call of Duty: Black Ops II	Activision	RE
37	Outriders	Square Enix	RE
38	For Honor	Ubisoft	38
39	ARK: Survival Evolved	Reverb Publishing	37
40	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition	Bethesda Softworks	39

Chart compiled using gameplay data from over 2.4 million active Xbox accounts. Chart information is copyright GameInsights. For details on how the chart is calculated, click here.

Written by Luke Albigés

Luke runs the TA news team, contributing where he can primarily with reviews and other long-form features — crafts he has honed across two decades of print and online gaming media experience, having worked with the likes of gamesTM, Eurogamer, Play, Retro Gamer, Edge, and many more. He loves all things Monster Hunter, enjoys a good D&D session, and has played way too much Destiny.