Japanese gamers have chosen their favourite games: Western projects remain outside the top 20

By: Vladyslav Nuzhnov | 04.03.2025, 12:51

According to a survey conducted by the Japanese company HIKE, the favourite games of Japanese players in 2024 were exclusively projects of local developers. Only one game of non-Japanese origin made it into the top 20 - Chinese Genshin Impact.

Here's What We Know

The first place in the ranking was taken by the Final Fantasy series, which is explained by the successful releases of Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The second and third places were shared by Nintendo's cult series The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario. Both franchises received new instalments in 2024, including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

The full list looks like this:

  1. Final Fantasy
  2. The Legend of Zelda
  3. Super Mario
  4. Dragon Quest
  5. Pokémon
  6. Splatoon
  7. Elden Ring
  8. Like a Dragon
  9. Momotaro Densetsu
  10. Animal Crossing
  11. Persona
  12. Resident Evil
  13. Monster Hunter
  14. Street Fighter
  15. Unicorn Overlord
  16. Armoured Core
  17. Powerful Pro Baseball
  18. Shiren the Wanderer
  19. NieR
  20. Genshin Impact

Interestingly, not a single Western game made it into the top 20, and the first of them, Fortnite, took only 21st place. This once again highlights the strong attachment of Japanese players to local franchises.

Source: Automaton