Elon Musk, Video Game King? Well, Maybe Not.

Gaming is a big part of the billionaire’s public persona. But other players are questioning whether he has the time or the skill to be as accomplished as he claims.

On its face, the claim feels improbable: In addition to being the world’s richest man, the chief executive of multiple companies and a key adviser to President Trump, Elon Musk says he is also a world-class video game player.

It is a claim that Mr. Musk has repeated through the years. He has an account on X, his social media platform, dedicated to posting highlights of his gameplay. He has streamed with some of the top competitive video game players in the world on platforms like Twitch. He has even etched his name on the global leader boards of certain games.

But last week, the community of gamers he’s long tried to impress turned against him. It started with a livestream of Mr. Musk playing Path of Exile 2, a popular action role-playing game known for its difficulty. Despite his account showing he had earned one of the game’s highest levels, his gameplay looked like that of an amateur.

Internet sleuths made YouTube videos and took to Reddit threads to dissect his gameplay, exposing mistakes a novice would make. Other gamers pointed out that Mr. Musk's Path of Exile account has been active at times he couldn’t have been playing himself, like on Monday morning, while he was at Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Mr. Musk’s account status indicated that he was logged into the game and inside of a “map,” which meant it was possible — though not certain — that someone on the account was playing the game while Mr. Musk was sitting behind Mr. Trump.

“How are you there?” one streamer questioned while watching a split screen of the game and Mr. Musk at the Capitol Rotunda, as Mr. Trump was being sworn in. “How are you in the Sulphuric Caverns right now, Elon?”