Surprising Surge in Player Count for PS Plus Game Stuns the Gaming Community

Highlights

This surge in player numbers can be attributed to a gameplay bug within the game itself, which permits users to attain its platinum trophy at no cost by engaging in co-operative play with individuals who have already obtained the trophy.

Stranded Deep has seen a remarkable surge in players, despite not ranking within the top 200 most popular games on PS5 and PS4. This surge in popularity can be attributed to the game's free platinum trophy exploit. Furthermore, the game, which was previously featured as a free monthly PlayStation Plus game a couple of years ago, has witnessed a significant increase in its user base. PS Plus members enjoy the benefit of receiving free games every month, as well as exclusive access to special in-game packs and additional discounts during specific sale events.

Sony provided PS Plus members with some exceptional games in July 2023, including Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake Remastered, and Endling: Extinction is Forever, with no additional charges. Subscribers to PS Plus can enjoy these games at no cost as long as they remain subscribed, allowing them to play the titles they have acquired until they decide to cancel their membership. Notably, Stranded Deep, which was offered as a free monthly game in May 2021, has experienced a significant surge in player count for a specific reason.

According to TrueTrophies, as of July 17, the number of players for Stranded Deep has skyrocketed, with a 77% increase in users playing the game within the past two weeks. As a result, Stranded Deep currently holds the 44th position in a list ranking titles with the highest number of active players on both PS5 and PS4. TrueTrophies also highlights that during this period, more gamers played Stranded Deep than Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, The Last of Us Part 1, and the PS5 pack-in title Astro's Playroom. It is important to note that this data is based on over 3.3 million active PSN accounts, making it an impressive accomplishment.

According to the report, there is a bug in Stranded Deep that enables users to acquire its platinum trophy without any charges. The process is fairly simple: players just need to engage in co-op gameplay with someone who has already obtained the platinum trophy in the game. Based on the available data, Stranded Deep did not even make it to the top 200 most frequently played games on both PS5 and PS4. This suggests that a substantial number of fans have downloaded the game solely to earn a free platinum trophy.

Besides the users who added the game to their accounts in May 2021, Stranded Deep is also included in the catalog of titles accessible to PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. As a result, those in these elevated tiers of PS Plus had the opportunity to download the game and acquire a brand-new platinum trophy at no cost.