The top spot for shooters has finally shifted after a long stretch. Valorant, which had been holding onto the throne, has been dethroned by PUBG. It’s been a full year since last June that PUBG managed to reclaim the top spot in the shooter category.

The reasons behind this are multifaceted. As the peak summer holiday season kicked off in late July, PC bangs saw a surge in foot traffic. Given that the typical PC bang demographic leans towards the 20s and above, and with holiday-goers flocking to these venues, the player base shifted accordingly. While Valorant thrives on a younger, teenage audience, PUBG tends to attract players in their 20s and 30s. PUBG already held a slight edge in PC bang engagement, but that gap widened significantly this week.

The update cycle also played a significant part. Valorant looked a bit sluggish after skipping its July 14 patch to prepare for the Unreal Engine 5 upgrade on July 29. PUBG, conversely, leaned into the festive spirit with its global collaboration with K-pop icons aespa, which generated quite a buzz. Even those disinterested in the game itself found themselves curious about the aespa skins. It was this perfect storm of events that allowed PUBG to finally tip the scales.

However, don't count Valorant out just yet. With the Unreal Engine 5 update now live, the game is back in full stride, while the hype surrounding the PUBG aespa collaboration is naturally starting to wane. A shift back to the status quo next week is entirely possible. If PUBG intends to defend its reclaimed title, it will need more than just lingering momentum; unfortunately, the upcoming Bugatti collaboration isn't slated until August 13, leaving a bit of a dry spell.

Dungeon & Fighter slid down three spots this week. Amidst a sea of summer updates from competitors, the title struggled to grab attention after the 20th-anniversary event was cancelled due to the Neople strike, and no major content drops were scheduled. That said, the absolute numbers haven't plummeted, and community sentiment remains surprisingly upbeat, suggesting that the core player base is as loyal as ever. It seems the dip is merely a result of being overshadowed by high-profile summer rivals. Once new content like the 'Twilight' update arrives, the game should see a swift climb back up the charts.

Further down the list, Mabinogi Mobile dropped back to 11th place after just one week, while Warcraft 3 surged six spots to 15th—its highest point since April of last year. In the hack-and-slash arena, Diablo 2 is holding the front line, while the newer Diablo 4 is experiencing a decline, and Path of Exile 2 has yet to break into the rankings.

In the lower tiers, Final Fantasy 14 rocketed from outside the charts to 36th place, thanks to the recent 'Seekers of Eternity' update. The game is also celebrating its 10th anniversary with a slew of events, which is clearly driving interest. Meanwhile, Supervive has entered the rankings following its transition from early access to an official launch on the 24th. The game is receiving praise for its 'Forge' content, which deepens the thrill of build-crafting, and for its increasingly intense aerial combat.