Google Analytics 4 provides a Realtime report that shows what is happening on your website during the last 30 minutes. It includes active users, traffic sources, page views, events, audiences and other information.
This overview can be useful, but it may feel crowded when you only want to watch one specific event, such as:
lol_game_banner_click
GA4 does not currently provide a fully customizable event-only Realtime dashboard. However, there are several practical ways to focus on the event you want to monitor.
Open the Realtime Event Details
The easiest option is to open the event directly from the Realtime overview.
Go to:
Reports → Realtime overview
Find the panel called:
Event count by Event name
Locate your event, such as:
lol_game_banner_click
Click the event name.
GA4 will open a more focused view showing activity and parameters connected to that event. The number displayed beside the event represents how many times it occurred during approximately the last 30 minutes.
This is the closest built-in option to an event-only Realtime report.
How to Test the Event
Keep the event detail view open while testing your website.
Open your website in another browser tab or a private browsing window. Click the banner or link that is supposed to trigger the event.
For example, the tracked link might be:
https://onceinabluemoon.ca/lol-game/?banner=1Return to Google Analytics and wait briefly. The event count should increase after GA4 receives the new activity.
If lol_game_banner_click already appears in the Realtime report with a count of one or more, the event is working.
Can You Create a Separate Realtime Layout?
GA4 does not let you create and save a second customized Realtime dashboard while keeping the original dashboard.
The built-in Realtime overview has a fixed structure. You can apply temporary comparisons or open individual event details, but you cannot create a separate saved Realtime report containing only selected cards.
You can bookmark the event-detail page in your browser. This gives you faster access to the event without changing the default Realtime overview.
Can You Rearrange the Realtime Panels?
The panels in the GA4 Realtime overview cannot be dragged, rearranged, removed or reordered.
Google controls the panel layout, and the same general structure is displayed each time you open the report.
You can scroll down to the Event count by Event name panel and open the event you want to monitor, but you cannot move that panel to the top of the page.
Creating a Custom Report
GA4 does allow you to create custom overview reports through the Reports Library.
Go to:
Reports → Library
From there, you can create or edit an overview report, choose which cards appear and arrange them in the order you prefer.
A custom report could include information such as:
- Event count
- Event name
- Total users
- Landing page
- Page location
- Traffic source
You can keep the default reports while also publishing your custom report.
However, custom reports do not provide the same immediate Realtime data. They use processed analytics data, so recently collected events may take time to appear.
Creating an Event-Only Exploration
Another option is to create an Exploration that displays only your chosen event.
Open:
Explore → Blank exploration
Add the following dimension:
Event name
Add useful metrics such as:
- Event count
- Total users
- Events per user
Create a filter where:
Event name exactly matches lol_game_banner_click
This produces a clean report showing only that event. You can save the Exploration and return to it whenever you need detailed results.
The disadvantage is that Explorations are not true Realtime dashboards. They are better for reviewing processed event data over a selected date range.
Best Setup for Monitoring One Event
For immediate testing, use the Realtime overview and click the event name under Event count by Event name.
For a cleaner long-term report, create an Exploration filtered to your event.
For a dashboard with rearranged cards, create a custom overview report through the Reports Library.
GA4 does not currently offer a separate, customizable event-only Realtime layout. The most practical solution is to open the event detail view while testing and use a saved custom report or Exploration when reviewing longer-term results.
