How the Playlin 40 works

What the chart measures

The Playlin 40 ranks the 40 most popular daily games on Playlin each week, based on launches and favorites.

A launch is when a player opens a game from Playlin. Favorites reflect the games players save on Playlin. These signals measure activity on Playlin, rather than a game’s total audience or completed puzzles across the web.

Activity from previous weeks also contributes to rankings, with its influence decreasing over time. This helps the chart reflect sustained interest while responding to changes in what players are playing and saving.

When the chart updates

A new chart is published every Monday at 9 a.m. ET. Each edition shows the dates its reporting period covers, along with each game’s movement, peak position, and number of weeks on the chart.

Which games are eligible

Any game listed on Playlin can chart if it is free to play, does not require an account to play, and has a daily reset.

How editorial placement affects the chart

Editorial features help games get discovered. Launches and favorites from those features count toward the chart, just as they do elsewhere on Playlin.

This includes featured slots, Added This Week, ICYMI, collections, Meet the Makers, and other placements chosen on editorial merit.

Being featured can lead to more activity, but it provides no automatic scoring bonus. A player still has to choose to launch or favorite the game.

How paid placement affects the chart

Launches and favorites attributed to paid placement on Playlin are excluded from chart scoring. This applies to sponsored slots, paid promotion, and any future placement a creator or studio pays for.

The exclusion covers actions taken directly from the paid placement and on the game page it opens. Once a player navigates elsewhere on Playlin, subsequent launches and favorites count as ordinary activity, including during the same visit.

If a player discovers a game through paid placement and later returns on their own, their launches and favorites also count.

Paid promotion can introduce a game to players who become regular fans. Payment itself provides no ranking credit, and activity attributed to the paid placement is excluded.

Chart review and policy updates

Every chart is reviewed before publication. Activity that appears automated or manipulated is excluded, and Playlin may exclude games from the chart for manipulated activity.

This policy is reviewed as Playlin’s traffic and placement options change. Any change to what counts will be documented and dated here.

Effective September 2026.