The most popular games in Japan - InspirationTuts (2024)

Japan has always been the homeland of the classics like Mario’s Adventures, Sonic the Hedgehog, Kof King of Fighters, and many more arcade games that we used to enjoy and still do. But, what about the games that people are currently playing in Japan?

We already covered the best-selling games before. Today, let’s take a look at some of the most popular games in Japan.

The most popular games in Japan - InspirationTuts (1)

Besides the most popular games in the world and the most popular series of all time (Zelda, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, Super Mario, PacMan, Pokemon, and Neo Geo games), Japan is well known for its Otome games.

Otome games meaning

An otome game is a story-based video game with the intent of developing a romantic relationship between the player character and one of the male characters in the game, with multi-choice decisions to define the plot of the game. And here are some of the most played otome games in Japan:

Utano PrinceSama

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The first version of Utano PrinceSama was released in 2010 on PSP, and it was popular in Japan only because it was available in Japanese only. It was one of the very first games that adopted the concept of idol group games. It gives you the ability to interact with those idols. Then it got an anime release that was based on it, which made it even more popular.

After that, it got another version with more interaction, more options, and a bunch of updates. What made this version even more popular was its availability in English and Chinese, which made it one of the most popular Otome games in the world.

Disney: Twisted-Wonderland

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This is a Japanese mobile game that was generated from collaboration between Aniplex and Walt Disney Japan. Yana Toboso, the creator of the popular anime Black Butler, is in charge of the original plan, script, and character design, which were inspired by Disney Villains from various franchises.

This game is so popular among Black Butler fans, which is already a large community, not to mention Disney’s enormous community. They made a great collaboration, which got the interest of a lot of Japanese gamers.

It’s not as popular as Uta no Prince-Sama because until now it was available in Japanese only, so its huge popularity is was limited to Japan until January 20, 2022 when Aniplex launched an English version.

Amnesia

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As the name implies, this game is based on the story of a girl who lost her memory, and the male characters will try to help her get her memory back.

This Japanese visual novel series was first released in 2011 for the PlayStation Portable and then as a fan disc in Japan. Another part named “Amnesia Crowd” was launched on April 18, 2013. You can also find it on Steam.

Hatoful Boyfriend

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This game has a very unique and strange concept, which was most likely the main reason for its popularity, especially in 2014. It’s on Steam too by the way.

In this game, you play the only human student at a high school for talented birds and pigeons. You wander in the halls of Pigeon High School and try to find love in between classes.

Collar X Malice

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Collar X Malice is a visual novel video game that was released for the PlayStation Vita on August 18, 2016, in Japan, and got a Nintendo Switch port in 2020. It’s about a dangerous organization that spreads chaos and violence in the city of Shinjuku.

You play the role of a young police officer with a poisonous collar attached to your neck and the task of restoring order. You’ll have five mysterious strangers to help you in your quest for the truth.

Meiji Tokyo Renka

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This game shows real historical characters in the Migi era in Japan in a very attractive way. You play a girl who has moved from the present to the Migi era. The characters will interact directly with you and try to win your heart in this game.

This otome game also has an anime that adopted its story and characters and contributed to increasing its players’ number and community.

Hakuoki

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Hakuoki is a classical Otome game and one of the very first ones in the Otome category. Just like the previous one we mentioned, it shows the historical real-life characters of Shinsengumi in the Edo era as well.

Years after its release, it got its own anime series, which made the game go even more viral in Japan.

Diabolik Lovers

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Just like most of the Otome games, Diabolik Lovers was so popular in Japan only, until it got an anime based on it. One of the main factors of this game’s popularity is its attractive characters, which are hard to resist for the target niche, which is young girls.

Otome is the most popular but not the only game category played in Japan. These games of different types got the lion’s share of popularity in Japan.

Fortnite

The most popular games in Japan - InspirationTuts (10)

Fortnite is an action, battle royale, survival online game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. This third-person shooter game was spread all over the globe in the last couple of years, and it was so popular in Japan as well.

It became one of the most played games in Japan by 2020, especially with the release of the bundle: Fortnite: The Last Laugh Bundle is the most popular one in Japan.

Genshin impact

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Genshin Impact is one of the most played games in Japan nowadays. It is an action RPG developed and published by miHoYo. This is one of the best video games for Android that also allows sharing of gameplay with other platforms. It is available on Android, iOS, PC, and PS4, and is planned for future release on Nintendo Switch.

It’s an amazing combination of character design, environment, and a great story. It gives you limitless options to discover an amazing open world that is growing steadily, and it’s available in many languages, which makes its popularity go worldwide.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch; it is the fifth main entry in the Animal Crossing series. It was the best-selling video game for consoles in Japan in 2020, where it sold over six million units.

In this game, you can build your community from scratch on an abandoned island with endless possibilities. Your island is rich in natural resources to craft everything from tools to creature comforts.

Kingdom Hearts

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The popularity of this series of action RPGs has reached another milestone in Japan when Square Enix. The developer company, has decided to bring all the different episodes from the twenty-year-old “Kingdom Hearts” game series to PC.

The most played one in Japan is Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, which is a bundle that includes six different games from the Kingdom Hearts series, which have been revamped and include the main parts of the series.

Dragon Quest

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Dragon Quest, the most famous fire-aware game in the Japanese RPG world of all time is one of the oldest in Japan as times go by. This game was released in Japan as Dragon Quest and in the United States as Dragon Warrior.

It was because there is a game in the United States called DragonQuest, which made the issue of publishing the game with the same name in America difficult. However, this matter ended after the seventh part, specifically in 2003.

The name became unified from the eighth part and beyond until now is Dragon Quest, whether in America or Japan. It happened after the publisher of the previous game gave up the rights to the name for not being interested in developing and publishing his game in the future.

Conclusion

Japan has always been doing a lot in the video game industry. From the beginning of its appearance, Japan’s first computer games are said to be Sega’s “Pontoon” and Taito’s “Erepon,” released in 1973. Until nowadays, in the modernity that includes big jumps in virtual reality and fanlisting assimilation in many game categories and devices, Japan gave too many choices for gamers, too many more than what we can cover in this article.

The most popular games in Japan - InspirationTuts (2024)

FAQs

Which games are most popular in Japan? ›

Top 5 Most Popular Sports in Japan
  • 1 Baseball (45.2% of Japanese people's favourite sport) ...
  • 2 Sumo Wrestling (27.3% of Japanese people's favourite sport) ...
  • 3 Soccer (Association Football) (25.0% of Japanese people's favourite sport) ...
  • 4 Tennis (21.7% of Japanese people's favourite sport)
Jul 30, 2021

What's the most popular game in Japan right now? ›

Japanese sales tracker Famitsu has published the top ten charts for the best-selling physical video games of September 2022 and there is no surprise which game claimed the lucrative No. 1 spot. That game as you rightly guessed is Nintendo's very own Splatoon 3 which shifted 2.7 million physical copies.

What is the most popular game in Japan 2022? ›

Japan's top 10 best-selling games of 2022, hardware results
  • [ NSW] Pokemon Scarlet / Violet – 4,338,931 / NEW.
  • [ NSW] Splatoon 3 – 3,687,814 / NEW.
  • [ NSW] Pokemon Legends: Arceus – 2,314,806 / NEW.
  • [ NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 969,047 / NEW.
  • [ ...
  • [ ...
  • [ ...
  • [
Jan 11, 2023

What game do they play in Japan? ›

Both traditional sports such as sumo and martial arts, and Western imports like baseball, association football, basketball and tennis are popular with both participants and spectators. Sumo is considered Japan's national sport. Baseball was introduced to the country by visiting Americans in the 19th century.

What do Japanese gamers play? ›

Popular Games From Japan
  • Sudoku.
  • Janken.
  • Kendama.
  • Daruma Otoshi.
  • Baba Nuki.
Sep 28, 2021

What game is trending in Japan? ›

The top grossing mobile game in Japan for Q2 2021 was Uma Musume Pretty Derby from Cygames with more than $361 million in player spending across the App Store and Google Play, which represented 129.6 percent growth from Q1 2021.

What is the 1 popular game? ›

What PC Games Are People Playing Right Now?
Game titlePublisher
1.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.0Activision Publishing
2.ROBLOXRoblox Corporation
3.The Sims 4Electronic Arts
4.Overwatch 1 & 2Blizzard Entertainment
16 more rows

What game is #1 right now? ›

1. Call of Duty: Warzone (Modern Warfare)

What is the number 1 game in world? ›

GTA V (Grand Theft Auto V)

Grand Theft Auto V is the world no. 1 mobile game and reimagines the open-world game in a number of ways. It is based on the GTA game of the same name, comes under the most popular mobile games that bring you to the notorious San Andreas.

What is Japan's favorite video game? ›

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Japan's Favorite

Franchises such as Final Fantasy, Pokémon, Super Mario, and Dragon Quest are a constant part of the list, reflecting the country's preferences.

Is Japan famous for gaming? ›

Video games are a major industry in Japan. Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games, including Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi Yamauchi, Sega during the same time period, Sony Computer Entertainment when it was based in Tokyo, and other companies such as Taito, Namco, ...

Is Japan big on gaming? ›

At a glance: PC games market in Japan was worth $868 million in 2021, nearly double that of 2018. 16 million Japanese gamers play on PC, up from 11 million in 2015. 4.5 million only play on PC, up from 2.2 million in 2015.

Is gaming legal in Japan? ›

Meanwhile, even after the enactment of the IR Laws, online gaming activities are still prohibited under the Penal Code and it will be illegal to conduct such activities within Japan.

What is Japan famous for? ›

Japan is known for everything from onsen hot springs and kabuki baths (dating to the 6th and 16th centuries, respectively) to all-night neon-lit dance parties, anime, and sushi boat restaurants, all of which are decidedly more modern.

How big is gaming in Japan? ›

Japan is the third biggest market in the video gaming industry with a value of $29 billion in 2021, accounting for 16% of the global market size.

What do Japanese say before playing a game? ›

Onegaishimasu (おねがいします) is a formal Japanese greeting used in the game of Go before a game starts.

Is Apex popular in Japan? ›

Apex Legends scored highly in terms of player reviews. data. ai's Ratings Over Time function, which shows historical ratings for an app shows more than 80% of reviewers in Japan rated it 5 Star for iPhone, compared to 72% for PUBG Mobile and 62% for Knives Out.

What is the number 1 mobile game in Japan? ›

With a sales revenue of almost 130 billion Japanese yen, "Uma Musume Pretty Derby" was the leading mobile game among consumers in Japan in 2021. The game was developed Cygames, Inc.

What is the oldest game in Japan? ›

These include the oldest game known to exist, Japanese chess and several other classics. Shogi shares many similarities with western chess, and it's known around the world as one of the leading chess variants. The goal is to take the opposition's king, and it's played on a grid, just like chess.

What is the national game of Tokyo? ›

Answer: Sumo wrestling is the national game of Japan. In Japan, sports are an integral part of the culture. Traditional sports like sumo and martial arts, as well as Western imports like baseball and association football, are popular among players and spectators. Sumo wrestling is regarded as Japan's national sport.

What are the top 3 popular games? ›

The 10 Most Popular Games Right Now
  • Minecraft.
  • Fortnite.
  • Fall Guys.
  • League of Legends.
  • PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
  • CrossFire.
  • Roblox.
  • Lost Ark.
Aug 9, 2022

What is the biggest video game ever? ›

Minecraft has sold more than 238 million copies, making it the most-sold video game of all time. Minecraft is a sandbox-style game that had a private release on PC in 2009 and was fully released to the public in 2011.

Who is the top 10 games? ›

Top 10 Games of 2022 for PC/Console
  • Rollerdome.
  • LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
  • Tunic.
  • Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.
  • Gran Turismo 7.
Dec 24, 2022

What game sold the most copies? ›

The best-selling video game to date is Minecraft, a sandbox game released by Mojang in May 2009 for a wide range of PC, mobile and console platforms, selling more than 238 million copies across all platforms. Grand Theft Auto V and EA's Tetris are the only other known video games to have sold over 100 million copies.

What's the best game of the year? ›

The Game Awards 2022 winners have been announced. Elden Ring won the Game of the Year award. God of War Ragnarök won 7 awards despite losing the game of the year award.

What is the #1 game in 2022? ›

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Who is the top 5 games? ›

TOP 5 GAMES IN THE WORLD
  • Football (Soccer) Association football, commonly called just football or soccer, the top 5 games in world football is one of the most popular sports. ...
  • Cricket. Cricket is a bat and ball team which started in southern England. ...
  • Tennis.

What is the most downloaded game? ›

Garena Free Fire from Garena was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide for February 2022 with 21.8 million installs, which represented a 22.7 percent increase from February 2021.

Which game is the most liked? ›

Notes
  • PUBG Mobile (free-to-play) – 1.1 billion (as of December 2022)
  • PUBG: Battlegrounds (free-to-play) – 75 Million (as of December 2021)
  • Peacekeeper Elite (free-to-play) – 70 million (as of May 2019)
  • Battlegrounds Mobile India (free-to-play) – 100 million (as of August 2021)

What is America's favorite game? ›

Football continues to be the most popular sport in the United States. According to Gallup.com, 37% of U.S. adults picked football as their favorite sport to watch. Football has been the favorite since 1972.

What are Japanese love games called? ›

An otome game (Japanese: 乙女ゲーム, Hepburn: otome gēmu, lit. "maiden game"), is a story-based video game that is targeted towards women. Generally one of the goals, besides the main idea/goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player/main character and one of the second-lead male characters.

Which country is No 1 in gaming? ›

MarketPlayers
1.China742.2M
2.United States197.2M
3.Japan78.1M
4.South Korea33.8M
6 more rows

Is Xbox Big in Japan? ›

In 20 years, Xbox sold a total of 2.3 million consoles in Japan, according to Weekly Famitsu magazine.

Which country is best at gaming? ›

Which Country Has The Best Esports Gamers in 2023?
  1. South Korea. As South Korea is widely regarded as being the country that kickstarted the whole esports phenomenon, it's no surprise that this nation has routinely given us many of the best competitive gaming stars. ...
  2. China. ...
  3. Denmark. ...
  4. USA. ...
  5. Sweden. ...
  6. Germany. ...
  7. Finland. ...
  8. Philippines.

Which country has biggest gaming? ›

China and the United States have been battling it out for the top spot of the biggest global gaming market for years. Shenzhen-headquartered Tencent, one of the biggest online companies worldwide, is also driving the gaming market in China. In 2021, Tencent generated approximately a third of its revenue through its.

Do Japanese kids play video games? ›

An education ministry survey this April showed that 17 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 spend more than four hours a day gaming — up from 9% in 2017, with a similar jump seen among those between the ages of 12 of 15.

What console is most popular in Japan? ›

Japan
ManufacturerConsoleUnits sold
SonyPlayStation 224,420,000
PlayStation Portable19,632,197
PlayStation19,411,000
NintendoFamicom (NES)19,350,000
41 more rows

What is the drinking age in Japan? ›

In Japan, the legal adult age is 20. Japanese law prohibits individuals under the age of 20 to drink alcohol or smoke. Regardless of age, you must not force anyone to drink or smoke as it may cause serious health and social consequences.

Is Yakuza allowed? ›

These activities make the relationship between yakuza and police in Japan a complicated one; yakuza membership itself is not illegal, and yakuza-owned businesses and gang headquarters are often clearly marked.

Why are games censored in Japan? ›

Japan. The Japanese versions are known for removing or heavily modifying anything and all related to sex and nudity in the game out of fear and concern for the "morality" of its citizens. In general, censorship in Japan aims to reduce gore and extreme violence in the localized versions of games.

Is Tokyo High in crime? ›

In general, Tokyo is a very safe city. Crime is low here, but there are various other concerns that travelers should be aware of. Pickpockets and other petty thieves target tourists who leave their valuables unattended.

Why is there no crime in Tokyo? ›

The cultural explanation is simplistic. Explaining low crime with culture is to say that collectivist traits like group-orientation, inclination towards harmony, and high self-control are why the Japanese do not murder, assault, and steal from each other as much as others in different countries.

Is Call of Duty popular in Japan? ›

While this may initially look surprising, the Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto games tend to do well in Japan when it comes to sales. After all, Call of Duty: WWII also on the PlayStation 4 managed to sell 168,324 units when it was launched last year in Japan, beating out Super Mario Odyssey in the process.

Is Japan rich or poor? ›

It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It is the world's second-largest developed economy. Japan is a member of both the G7 and G20. According to the World Bank, the country's per capita GDP (PPP) was at $49,000 (2022).

What is Japan best at? ›

Japan is known worldwide for its traditional arts, including tea ceremonies, calligraphy and flower arranging. The country has a legacy of distinctive gardens, sculpture and poetry. Japan is home to more than a dozen UNESCO World Heritage sites and is the birthplace of sushi, one of its most famous culinary exports.

Why is Japan loved? ›

Japan is one of the oldest civilizations and has a beautiful and diverse history. The stunning, diverse scenery with mountains and breathtaking views, which are much appreciated by the Japanese, offers so many different experiences that attract tourists from all corners of the world.

What is Japan's most played sport? ›

Baseball (Yakyū)

Even though it came from the US, baseball is often jokingly referred to as Japan's national sport, as it's by far the most popular sport in Japan. In fact, some Japanese players have played in the MLB (Major League Baseball).

What is the #1 video game? ›

Minecraft has sold more than 238 million copies, making it the most-sold video game of all time. Minecraft is a sandbox-style game that had a private release on PC in 2009 and was fully released to the public in 2011.

Which is the 1 famous game in the world? ›

What PC Games Are People Playing Right Now?
Game titleChange
1.ROBLOX1
2.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.01
3.Fortnite3
4.Minecraft1
16 more rows

What is the #1 best video game in the world? ›

1. Tetris – 520 million. Arguably the most timeless video game ever created, Tetris sits comfortably atop the list of all-time bestsellers with 520 million copies sold, according to The Tetris Company.

What is the famous online game in Japan? ›

League of Legends (LoL) is a global phenomenon boasting more than 100 million players. A growing number of players these days are from Japan. More now that the country now allows people to compete for a chance to be professional gamers. The League of Legends Japan League was established in 2014.

What game made the most money? ›

The Top 50 Highest-Grossing Video Game Franchises Transcript
RankFranchiseRevenue
1Pokemon$90,000,000,000
2Mario$30,250,000,000
3Call of Duty$17,000,000,000
4Wii$14,808,000,000
46 more rows

Why are FPS games unpopular in Japan? ›

They were for gun-loving Americans. Japanese gamer after Japanese gamer said “these games are not for us.” As a result, the popularity of FPS games never quite spread through the country. Japanese gamers were too busy with the latest “Dragon Quest” or “Final Fantasy” to give a toss about shooters like “Doom” or “Quake. ...

How popular is Minecraft in Japan? ›

Total sales volume of best-selling video games for consoles in Japan in 2021 (in million units)
Game title (console)Units sold in millions
Ring Fit Adventure (Switch)0.9
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)0.82
Minecraft (Switch)0.71
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)0.7
6 more rows
May 25, 2022

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