Hollow Knight: Silksong has been released, so something else must take its place at the top of wish lists. The two games currently at the top are formidable competition.
Previously, titles like The Day Before, Manor Lords, and Stray held the crown on Steam wishlists. Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong briefly claimed the top spot but has since handed over the baton. Today, Subnautica 2 stands as the most wishlisted game on Steam, followed by Valve’s MOBA-shooter Deadlock. Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4, and Light No Fire round out the third, fourth, and fifth spots. While these rankings don’t factor in console players or other digital storefronts, they offer a revealing snapshot of current gaming trends.
What’s striking is that Valve’s Deadlock didn’t immediately claim first place. Tens of thousands of players are already diving into the game for free, despite its official release still pending. Former testers are debating whether it’s worth returning. Before its closed testing leaked, Valve acted as though Deadlock didn’t exist. Yet, in the summer of 2024, screenshots, videos, and datamined content exposed the project, turning it into the hottest topic in gaming. By last August, Valve casually “announced” Deadlock by acknowledging it existed. The mass spread of invite-only access essentially amounted to a soft launch. It’s ironic, given Valve pioneered the Early Access model, but doesn’t describe its own quasi–Early Access game in those terms.
Subnautica 2, now sitting at number one, comes with its own storm of controversy. The project has been plagued by legal and creative disputes within the studio, unlikely to be resolved before its planned 2026 Early Access debut. Krafton purchased Unknown Worlds in 2021, planning to launch the sequel to the beloved underwater survival sim this year. In July, Krafton ousted key leadership figures — CEO Ted Gill, designer Charlie Cleveland, and co-founder Max McGuire. The fired developers allege they were pushed out unfairly to avoid paying a $250 million bonus, insisting Subnautica 2 could have been ready for Early Access this year. Krafton, however, argues the trio mishandled the project, claiming it lagged far behind agreed milestones and that forcing a release would have been disastrous.
The Day Before’s earlier rise to the top now looks accidental. Manor Lords and Stray, while generating buzz, were far from blockbuster material — a hardcore city builder and a contemplative indie adventure, respectively. AAA giants like Borderlands 4 and Battlefield 6 may still succeed, but their scale and budgets no longer guarantee chart dominance. This reflects a broader trend where surprise hits such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Balatro, Helldivers 2, Repo, and Palworld stole the spotlight, while traditional publishers like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft struggle.
These days, beyond simply making a great game and hoping it resonates, no one seems to have cracked the formula for building excitement around new releases.
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