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
100. Persona 3
99. Pokemon Platinum
98. Persona 4
97. Super Mario World
96. Romance of the Three Kingdoms
95. Mother (EarthBound Beginnings)
94. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
93. Persona 5 Royal
92. Monster Hunter 4G
91. Street Fighter 2
90. Final Fantasy 8
89. Super Mario Galaxy 2
88. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
87. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
86. Monster Hunter
85. Dragon Quest 6
84. Final Fantasy 11
83. Dragon Quest 7
82. The Legend of Mana
81. Dragon Quest Builders 2
80. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
79. Metal Gear Solid
78. Nobunaga’s Ambition
77. Mario Kart Wii
76. Kirby Air Ride
75. Animal Crossing: Wild World
74. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
73. Gran Turismo 4
72. Kirby Super Star
71. Dr. Mario
70. Monster Hunter World
69. Super Mario RPG
68. Pokemon X and Y
67. Bloodborne
66. Ghost of Tsushima
65. Suikoden
64. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
63. Final Fantasy 3
62. Xevious
61. Super Smash Bros.
60. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
59. Dead by Daylight
58. Animal Crossing
57. Donkey Kong Country
56. Super Mario Galaxy
55. Yo-kai Watch 2
54. Dragon Quest 8
53. Tales of the Abyss
52. The Legend of Zelda
51. Final Fantasy 4
50. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
49. Kingdom Hearts
48. Nier: Automata
47. Final Fantasy 14
46. Dragon Quest 2
45. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
44. Dragon Quest 10
43. Xenoblade
42. Persona 5
41. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban!
40. Xenogears
39. Dark Souls 3
38. Puyo Puyo
37. Final Fantasy 9
36. Pokemon Gold and Silver
35. Xenoblade 2
34. Final Fantasy 5
33. Final Fantasy 6
32. Resident Evil
31. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
30. Apex Legends
29. Okami
28. Mother 2 (EarthBound)
27. Dragon Quest 11
26. Pokemon Black and White
25. Tetris
24. Pokemon Red and Green
23. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
22. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
21. Splatoon
20. Minecraft
19. Suikoden 2
18. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
17. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
16. Kingdom Hearts 2
15. Dragon Quest 4
14. Pokemon Sword and Shield
13. Undertale
12. Super Mario Kart
11. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
10. Super Mario Bros. 3
9. Final Fantasy 10
8. Chrono Trigger
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
6. Dragon Quest 3
5. Splatoon 2
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
3. Final Fantasy 7
2. Dragon Quest 5
1. 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