diff --git a/src/lib/server/hosts/overview.ts b/src/lib/server/hosts/overview.ts
index 8833d59..e5bbd9d 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/hosts/overview.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/hosts/overview.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,29 @@
 import { db } from '../db/index.js';
 import { listHosts } from './index.js';
 import { presentHostPreparation } from './preparation.js';
+import { observationReader } from '../fleet/status.js';
+import type { ServerRow } from '../fleet/servers.js';
 import type { Host } from '../../hosts.js';
 
-export interface HostOverview extends Host { serverCount: number }
+export interface HostOverview extends Host { serverCount: number; playerCount: number; unreportedInstances: number }
 
-/** Count assigned servers without loading their telemetry or historical placements. */
+/** Read current placements once and use the fleet's shared telemetry/RCON selection. */
 export function hostOverview(): HostOverview[] {
     const hosts = listHosts();
-    const counts = new Map((db().prepare(`SELECT i.host_id, COUNT(*) AS count FROM native_instances i
+    const instances = db().prepare(`SELECT s.*, i.host_id FROM native_instances i
         JOIN servers s ON s.name = i.server
-        WHERE i.retired_at IS NULL AND s.destroyed_at IS NULL
-        GROUP BY i.host_id`).all() as { host_id: string; count: number }[]).map(row => [row.host_id, row.count]));
-    return hosts.map(host => ({ ...presentHostPreparation(host), serverCount: counts.get(host.id) ?? 0 }));
+        WHERE i.retired_at IS NULL AND s.destroyed_at IS NULL`).all() as (ServerRow & { host_id: string })[];
+    const counts = new Map<string, { serverCount: number; playerCount: number; unreportedInstances: number }>();
+    if (instances.length) {
+        const observe = observationReader();
+        for (const instance of instances) {
+            const count = counts.get(instance.host_id) ?? { serverCount: 0, playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 0 };
+            count.serverCount++;
+            const observation = observe(instance);
+            if (observation.health === 'online' && observation.last_players !== null) count.playerCount += observation.last_players;
+            else count.unreportedInstances++;
+            counts.set(instance.host_id, count);
+        }
+    }
+    return hosts.map(host => ({ ...presentHostPreparation(host), ...(counts.get(host.id) ?? { serverCount: 0, playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 0 }) }));
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/ui/components/HostList.svelte b/src/lib/ui/components/HostList.svelte
index e829f3e..47e756b 100644
--- a/src/lib/ui/components/HostList.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/ui/components/HostList.svelte
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@
     import { contextHref } from '$lib/navigation-context.js';
     import { hostListStatus, hostReadingsStale, hostCpuUsage, hostUsedSpace } from '$ui/host-overview.js';
     import Badge from './primitives/Badge.svelte';
-    let { hosts, now, returnTo = '/hosts' }: { hosts: (Host & { serverCount: number })[]; now: number; returnTo?: string } = $props();
+    let { hosts, now, returnTo = '/hosts' }: { hosts: (Host & { serverCount: number; playerCount: number; unreportedInstances: number })[]; now: number; returnTo?: string } = $props();
 </script>
 
 <div class="table-wrap"><table>
-    <thead><tr><th>Host</th><th>Status</th><th title="Assigned servers, including stopped instances">Servers</th><th>CPU</th><th>Memory <span>used / total</span></th><th>Disk <span>used / total</span></th></tr></thead>
+    <thead><tr><th>Host</th><th>Status</th><th title="Assigned instances, including stopped instances">Instances</th><th title="Players reported by online instances">Players</th><th>CPU</th><th>Memory <span>used / total</span></th><th>Disk <span>used / total</span></th></tr></thead>
     <tbody>{#each hosts as host (host.id)}
         {@const status = hostListStatus(host, now)}
         {@const stale = hostReadingsStale(host, now)}
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
             <td><a class="name" href={contextHref(`/hosts/${host.id}`, returnTo)}>{host.name}</a>{#if host.hostname && host.hostname !== host.name}<span class="secondary">{host.hostname}</span>{/if}
                 {#if stale && host.lastHeartbeat}<span class="secondary">Resource readings stale</span>{/if}</td>
             <td class="status"><Badge variant={status.tone}>{status.label}</Badge>{#if status.detail}<a class="reason" href={contextHref(`/hosts/${host.id}?tab=${status.tab}`, returnTo)}>{status.detail}</a>{/if}</td>
-            <td><a href={contextHref(`/hosts/${host.id}?tab=servers`, returnTo)} aria-label={`${host.serverCount} assigned servers on ${host.name}`}>{host.serverCount}</a></td>
+            <td><a href={contextHref(`/hosts/${host.id}?tab=servers`, returnTo)} aria-label={`${host.serverCount} assigned instances on ${host.name}`}>{host.serverCount}</a></td>
+            <td title={host.unreportedInstances ? `Player counts unavailable for ${host.unreportedInstances} of ${host.serverCount} instances` : 'Players reported by online instances'}>{host.unreportedInstances === host.serverCount && host.serverCount > 0 ? '—' : `${host.playerCount}${host.unreportedInstances ? '+' : ''}`}</td>
             <td class:stale>{hostCpuUsage(host.inventory.cpuUsagePercent)}</td>
             <td class:stale>{hostUsedSpace(host.inventory.memoryTotal, host.inventory.memoryAvailable)}</td>
             <td class:stale>{hostUsedSpace(host.inventory.storageTotal, host.inventory.storageAvailable)}</td>
diff --git a/tests/unit/host-instances.test.ts b/tests/unit/host-instances.test.ts
index d040bc0..69e41a0 100644
--- a/tests/unit/host-instances.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/host-instances.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { newFixture, type Fixture } from '../helpers/fixture.js';
+import { gameEvent } from '../helpers/telemetry.js';
 
 let fixture: Fixture;
 beforeEach(async () => { vi.resetModules(); fixture = await newFixture([]); });
@@ -33,12 +34,12 @@ describe('host detail instances', () => {
 
         const { hostOverview } = await import('../../src/lib/server/hosts/overview.js');
         const overview = hostOverview();
-        expect(overview.find(row => row.id === host.id)?.serverCount).toBe(2);
-        expect(overview.find(row => row.id === other.id)?.serverCount).toBe(1);
+        expect(overview.find(row => row.id === host.id)).toMatchObject({ serverCount: 2, playerCount: 2, unreportedInstances: 1 });
+        expect(overview.find(row => row.id === other.id)).toMatchObject({ serverCount: 1, playerCount: 2, unreportedInstances: 0 });
         const { GET: list } = await import('../../src/routes/api/hosts/+server.js');
         const listed = await list({ request: new Request('https://ec.test/api/hosts') }).json();
         expect(listed.serverNow).toEqual(expect.any(Number));
-        expect(listed.hosts.find((row: { id: string }) => row.id === host.id)).toMatchObject({ serverCount: 2 });
+        expect(listed.hosts.find((row: { id: string }) => row.id === host.id)).toMatchObject({ serverCount: 2, playerCount: 2, unreportedInstances: 1 });
         const { GET } = await import('../../src/routes/api/hosts/[id]/+server.js');
         const read = async (id: string) => (await GET({ request: new Request(`https://ec.test/api/hosts/${id}`), params: { id } }).json());
         const body = await read(host.id);
@@ -52,6 +53,13 @@ describe('host detail instances', () => {
         expect((await read(other.id)).instances.map((instance: { name: string }) => instance.name)).toEqual(['other-host']);
         const empty = createHost({ name: 'Empty host' });
         expect((await read(empty.id)).instances).toEqual([]);
-        expect(hostOverview().find(row => row.id === empty.id)?.serverCount).toBe(0);
+        expect(hostOverview().find(row => row.id === empty.id)).toMatchObject({ serverCount: 0, playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 0 });
+        const report = { ...gameEvent('heartbeat', 15, 4, 'running'), receivedAt: now };
+        db().prepare('INSERT INTO server_telemetry (server, round, players, received_at, payload) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)')
+            .run('running', 15, 4, now, JSON.stringify(report));
+        expect(hostOverview().find(row => row.id === host.id)).toMatchObject({ playerCount: 4, unreportedInstances: 1 });
+        db().prepare("DELETE FROM server_telemetry WHERE server='running'").run();
+        db().prepare("UPDATE servers SET last_seen_at='2000-01-01T00:00:00Z',last_players=99 WHERE name='running'").run();
+        expect(hostOverview().find(row => row.id === host.id)).toMatchObject({ playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 2 });
     });
 });
diff --git a/tests/unit/ui-host-overview.test.ts b/tests/unit/ui-host-overview.test.ts
index 7666e7b..7af27cb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/ui-host-overview.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/ui-host-overview.test.ts
@@ -56,8 +56,11 @@ it('distinguishes real zero usage from missing or invalid metrics', () => {
 });
 
 it('renders compact host links and workload without duplicate identity, setup metadata or deletion actions', () => {
-    const body = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3 }], now } }).body;
-    expect(body).toContain('3 assigned servers on ec-1');
+    const body = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3, playerCount: 12, unreportedInstances: 0 }], now } }).body;
+    expect(body).toContain('3 assigned instances on ec-1');
+    expect(body).toContain('>Instances</th>');
+    expect(body).toContain('>Players</th>');
+    expect(body).toContain('>12</td>');
     expect(body).toContain('0.0%');
     expect(body).toContain('512.0 MiB / 1.0 GiB');
     expect(body.match(/>ec-1</g)).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -65,7 +68,17 @@ it('renders compact host links and workload without duplicate identity, setup me
     expect(body).not.toContain('Game ports');
     expect(body).not.toContain('Automatic setup');
     expect(body).not.toContain('Resource readings stale');
-    const stale = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3 }], now: now + 90_001 } }).body;
+    const stale = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3, playerCount: 12, unreportedInstances: 0 }], now: now + 90_001 } }).body;
     expect(stale).toContain('Resource readings stale');
     expect(stale).toContain('Offline');
 });
+
+it('marks partial player totals and distinguishes unavailable counts from empty hosts', () => {
+    const partial = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3, playerCount: 4, unreportedInstances: 1 }], now } }).body;
+    expect(partial).toContain('>4+</td>');
+    expect(partial).toContain('Player counts unavailable for 1 of 3 instances');
+    const unknown = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 3, playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 3 }], now } }).body;
+    expect(unknown).toContain('>—</td>');
+    const empty = render(HostList, { props: { hosts: [{ ...host(), serverCount: 0, playerCount: 0, unreportedInstances: 0 }], now } }).body;
+    expect(empty).toContain('>0</td>');
+});