Japanese gamers reveal their favourite games and the answers might surprise you

Japan’s biggest gaming magazine has held a survey to discover the nation’s most popular games, and it’s RPGs as far as the eye can see.

Despite the growing influence of Japan on Western culture, there’s still a clear divide in what games are most popular on opposite sides of the world. 

While the likes of Call Of Duty and EA Sports FC have a vice-like grip over charts in the West, you’re more likely to find franchises like Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest soaring high in Japan. Nintendo, naturally, is very Japan-centric too, with titles like Splatoon and Kirby Air Riders being more popular there in comparison to Western territories. 

If you’ve ever wondered about Japanese gamer tastes more specifically though, a new survey has the answers. 

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Japanese magazine Famitsu held a nationwide survey to ask readers various game-related topics, including the game series that influenced them the most, what sequel they want the most, and the game they’ve dedicated most time to. 

The survey, which had over 5,000 respondents, saw some expected and surprising answers. Nintendo, almost inevitably, has a big presence throughout, with the company named the nation’s favourite developer, while Zelda: Breath Of The Wild topped two categories, for the favourite game to recommend to others and ‘game to play again if you lost your memory’. Mario, meanwhile, is Japan’s favourite gaming character. 

As listed by Nintendo Everything, the less obvious answers come in the other categories. The original Dragon Quest is the ‘most influential game’, ahead of Final Fantasy 7, Dragon Quest 3, and Pokémon Red and Green (they didn’t have Blue in Japan). 

If you’re a student of Japanese gaming, the reverence given to Dragon Quest won’t be such a surprise, as while it’s a niche franchise in Japanese it is the series that popularised the entire concept of Japanese role-playing games, while also being heavily influenced by now forgotten Western titles such as Ultima and Wizardry. If you’ve ever played a turn-based JRPG then it’s knowingly riffing on Dragon Quest.

Dragon Quest also tops the list of the series they most want a new game or sequel for, followed by Persona, Dragon Quest Builders (the spiritual predecessor to Pokémon Pokopia), and the Tales Of series. Notably, GTA 6 is nowhere in sight.

The most influential series goes to Final Fantasy, followed by Dragon Quest, Pokémon, Mario, Persona, and Monster Hunter. Final Fantasy 14 (an MMO) is the game people listed as having spent the most time on, followed by Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G – known as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite in the West. 

If it wasn’t clear how much Japan loves role-playing games, Chrono Trigger is the most requested remake or remaster, followed by Xenogears, Pokémon Black and White, Final Fantasy 8, and Tales Of The Abyss. Bloodborne did make the list, but it’s eating the turn-based dirt in eleventh place. 

In other words, Japan values the spirit of adventure with a gang of anime sprites, while the West treasures war simulations and competitive sports. In the words of Mitchell and Webb, are we the baddies? 

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