A social graph is the underlying data structure that represents how users on a platform are connected to one another. It includes friendships, follows, mutual connections, group memberships, and other relationship types.
In gaming, a social graph determines who sees your posts, who appears in your discovery feed, and how the platform suggests new people to connect with. Platforms without a strong social graph — like Discord — rely on server membership instead, which fragments your connections across isolated communities rather than maintaining a unified network of relationships.
A well-built social graph powers features like friend-of-friend discovery, personalized feeds, and teammate recommendations based on shared games and playstyle.