PS5 September 16, 2026 update adds Welcome Hub widget showing regionally popular games
GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed
The PS5 system software update released September 16, 2026 added a Welcome Hub widget that displays which PS5 titles are popular in a user's region, affecting PS5 users where the update is available. GameRant reports the update went live in the US and Canada and is rolling out gradually worldwide; the outlet also notes PlayStation issues firmware updates periodically.
- What changed: The September 16, 2026 PS5 system software update adds a Welcome Hub widget that displays which PS5 titles are popular in a user's region (GameRant).
- Supported impact: GameRant says the widget surfaces regional popularity on the console Welcome Hub and frames that as potentially making it easier for users to discover trending PS5 titles.
- What remains unconfirmed: GameRant did not provide a full timeline for the global rollout, nor did it detail how the widget measures popularity, whether it is customizable, or what other changes are included in the update.
- Where to read: use the supplied source material
What changed
According to GameRant, a PS5 system software update dated September 16, 2026 adds a new Welcome Hub widget that shows which PS5 titles are popular in a user's region. GameRant reports the update went live in the US and Canada on September 16 and is subject to a gradual rollout worldwide. The outlet also situates this change amid PlayStation’s routine firmware activity, noting PlayStation periodically issues system updates.
Supported impact
GameRant describes the widget as a way to surface regional popularity of PS5 games directly on the console Welcome Hub. The report frames this placement on the Welcome Hub as potentially making it easier for users to discover trending or popular titles in their region. Those are the impacts explicitly described in GameRant’s coverage: the new interface element (the Welcome Hub widget) and the intended effect of surfacing regional popularity for discovery.
Because the report links the change to the console's Welcome Hub, it directly affects PS5 users in regions where the update has been applied (GameRant). GameRant’s account limits its claims to the widget’s existence, its purpose as a popularity display, and the geographic rollout status; the article does not assert further technical details about the widget or any guaranteed changes to storefronts or recommendations beyond what the outlet reports.
Limits
GameRant’s report does not provide several specifics that would affect how the change operates in practice. The article does not specify:
- Exactly which metrics the widget uses to determine "popular" (for example, playtime, concurrent players, sales, downloads, or editorial curation).
- Whether the widget is configurable by users or tied to account-level preferences.
- A full timeline or schedule for the global rollout beyond the statement that it is gradual.
- Any additional features or fixes included in the September 16 update beyond the Welcome Hub widget.
Those points remain unconfirmed in the supplied evidence; GameRant does not report them.
Availability
GameRant reports the update is live in the US and Canada and is in a gradual worldwide rollout. Beyond that, the report does not list which regions will receive the update next or when the rollout will complete.
For all statements in this explainer, the supporting reporting is from GameRant’s coverage of the PS5 system update.