TV Asashi recently polled 50,000 gamers in Japan to figure out the most popular video games ever released in the region. The results of this poll were broadcast in a special presentation, which included celebrity appearances and more as the games were ranked from number 100 to number 1.
The full list of 100 video games consists of many titles that one might expect, including multiple entries in the Persona and Pokemon series, not to mention a number of Super Mario video games as well. There are some games that are notably absent that one might be surprised to discover didn’t make the cut, like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and others. Even so, this is a pretty wide-ranging list with a number of high profile franchises well-represented.
The vast majority of the games on the list are readily available in regions outside of Japan, with only a handful of exceptions, so anyone wanting to check some of these out should be able to do so without too much trouble.
Top 100 Video Games of All Time According to Japan
Persona 3
Pokemon Platinum
Persona 4
Super Mario World
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Mother (EarthBound Beginnings)
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Persona 5 Royal
Monster Hunter 4G
Street Fighter 2
Final Fantasy 8
Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Monster Hunter
Dragon Quest 6
Final Fantasy 11
Dragon Quest 7
The Legend of Mana
Dragon Quest Builders 2
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Metal Gear Solid
Nobunaga’s Ambition
Mario Kart Wii
Kirby Air Ride
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Gran Turismo 4
Kirby Super Star
Dr. Mario
Monster Hunter World
Super Mario RPG
Pokemon X and Y
Bloodborne
Ghost of Tsushima
Suikoden
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Final Fantasy 3
Xevious
Super Smash Bros.
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
Dead by Daylight
Animal Crossing
Donkey Kong Country
Super Mario Galaxy
Yo-kai Watch 2
Dragon Quest 8
Tales of the Abyss
The Legend of Zelda
Final Fantasy 4
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
Kingdom Hearts
Nier: Automata
Final Fantasy 14
Dragon Quest 2
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
Dragon Quest 10
Xenoblade
Persona 5
Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban!
Xenogears
Dark Souls 3
Puyo Puyo
Final Fantasy 9
Pokemon Gold and Silver
Xenoblade 2
Final Fantasy 5
Final Fantasy 6
Resident Evil
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Apex Legends
Okami
Mother 2 (EarthBound)
Dragon Quest 11
Pokemon Black and White
Tetris
Pokemon Red and Green
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Splatoon
Minecraft
Suikoden 2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Kingdom Hearts 2
Dragon Quest 4
Pokemon Sword and Shield
Undertale
Super Mario Kart
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Super Mario Bros. 3
Final Fantasy 10
Chrono Trigger
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Dragon Quest 3
Splatoon 2
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Final Fantasy 7
Dragon Quest 5
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
The top 10 is interesting, with a nice range of different game franchises available, though Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are both represented twice. The newness of the top five may be especially surprising to some, as Splatoon 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are all relatively new games. They’re also all Nintendo Switch exclusive games, so it’s no surprise that Nintendo’s home console/handheld hybrid has turned out to be a massive hit in Japan. In fact, the top 10 includes another Nintendo Switch exclusive game a little higher up in the number 7 spot with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
It would be interesting to see a similar poll take place in other countries to see how gaming tastes differ from one area to the next, but for now fans can take a look at Japan’s top 100 favorite video games.
Source: Kotaku
