Nintendo has recently revealed the 30 most-sold games in the Japanese eShop, and Suika Game takes the top spot. While this may seem surprising at first, considering that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sold over 19.5 million units in a single year, Suika Game was a huge, surprising hit.

Released on the eShop back in September, Suika Game became a streaming phenomenon recently. Also known as Watermelon Game, the title was developed by Aladdin X and originally launched for the company’s digital projectors back in 2021, but it failed to garner much attention at the time. After the Switch release, Suika Game was streamed by several popular figures such as Sykkuno, QTCinderella, and the Japanese TV celebrity Shingo Katori, and it exploded in popularity. Suika Game is a Tetris-inspired puzzle game in which the player has to drop fruits on top of each other. The game’s objective is to combine similar fruits to turn them into bigger ones and score more points.

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In Nintendo’s official list of most downloaded eShop games in Japan, Suika Game takes the top spot, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. Other highlights include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 12th place, despite being released back in 2017, and Minecraft in 18th. Curiously, Pikmin 1 and 2 also appear in Nintendo’s list, in 29th and 26th place, respectively, despite being around 20 years old. It’s important to notice, though, that the list only includes digital purchases.

Top 30 Most Downloaded Games on Nintendo eShop In Japan

1. Suika Game
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
3. Pikmin 4
4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
5. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7. Splatoon 3
8. Overcooked 2
9. Super Mario RPG
10. Fire Emblem Engage
11. Monster Hunter Rise
12. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
13. Pokemon Violet
14. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2
15. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
16. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
17. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
18. Minecraft
19. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1
20. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
21. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
22. Human: Fall Flat
23. Persona 4 Golden
24. Among Us
25. Momotaro Dentetsu World: Chikyuu wa Kibou de Mawatteru
26. Pikmin 2
27. Pokemon Scarlet
28. Nintendo Switch Sports
29. Pikmin 1
30. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban

While Suika Game appearing at the top of the list may be surprising, most of the other games in the list are not. Tears of the Kingdom was clearly Nintendo’s biggest first-party hit this year, closely followed by Super Mario Bros. Wonder. What is perhaps more surprising is how well Pikmin 4 is selling in Japan. The franchise does not have the same weight as Zelda or Mario, but the fourth entry is the best-selling title of the series, and it’s highly critically acclaimed.

It’s fair to say that 2023 was a somewhat tumultuous year for the Nintendo eShop. Back in March, the 3DS and Wii U eShops officially closed down, making thousands of old games unavailable for purchase. It was a pretty sad event for collectors, and several gamers tried to buy as many titles as possible before the services shut down, as only already purchased games can still be played.

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Nintendo is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. While producing highly popular hardware consoles like the Switch, the company is known for its many first party video game franchises like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, and many more.

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