The World’s Favorite Video Games Mapped (2023)

Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid – or Chicken Invaders?!

The world’s favorite video games have been mapped out in new research by FandomSpot, revealing a love for some weird and wonderful titles across the globe.

We used IMDb’s database – which might be more famous for films and TV but has tens of thousands of gaming titles rated in the same way – to track down the most popular game that’s been made in each of the world’s nations.

Some of the global big-hitters coming out of the US, UK and Japan feature as you might expect, but in smaller markets there are some weird and wonderful results.

We’ll take a closer look further down, but you can start by exploring our interactive map featuring all the results here:

How the research was gathered

Data on all-time game ratings was curated using IMDb’s ‘advanced title search’ for video games and selecting each nation as country of origin.

Where no games were rated, a keyword search for the nation was carried out in the same database, identifying plotlines or other characteristics of titles specifically relevant to that country. Titles and nations where that method was applied can be seen in the research sheet, along with each nation’s findings.

Where low numbers of ratings were apparent, games with higher numbers of ratings were given priority. Where no games were rated in either research method, the country has been left blank. Where the same game appears twice for different countries, this is because multiple nations are listed as countries of origin.

What it tells us

The Last of Us is riding a serious wave, for starters. Off the back of the TV adaptation of the original 2013 game, the remade The Last of Us: Part I – only released in September – is already the all-time favorite game to come out of America. It’s rated at 9.8 out of 10 by fans, also making it the joint-highest rated game on IMDb ever. Not bad for a few month’s work!

Here’s a look at the highest rated games to come out of each of the world’s biggest gaming markets, and their rating:

China’s top-rated game – Batman: Return to Arkham – was co-developed in the US and the United Kingdom too, while Red Dead Redemption II was a joint effort from the UK and Canada, topping the ratings for both countries.

In smaller markets, some wackier results came through. Greece’s favorite export (after its amazing cuisine…) was 1999 release Chicken Invaders, a shoot ‘em up which sees the player having to defend Earth from intergalactic poultry. And from Ireland, the best-rated title went all the way back to 1989 and the Michael Jackson-backed adventure Moonwalker.

Matching The Last of Us: Part I’s 9.8 rating is Poland’s favorite game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine.

Continental themes

North America and Europe both share a love for action games, with titles from that genre dominating their respective landscapes.

The best-rated games from North American nations

The best-rated games from European nations

Countries in Asia were more likely to favor a tale of adventure and fantasy. Japan’s best-rated game was 1998’s Metal Gear Solid and for South Korea it was the 2011 release LittleBigPlanet 2.

The best-rated games from Asian nations

In South America more sport-based titles got a look-in, with 1990 racer Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge proving a hit for Ecuador, alongside ModNation Racers for Brazilians and AFL for Bolivia.

The best-rated games from South American nations

Very few African nations featured any results, although the timeless GoldenEye 007 – which features an Egyptian temple as one of its mission settings – was Egypt’s number-one rated game with a 9.1 rating. Broforce, a 2014 title featuring a ‘hypermasculine hero-style commando’ as its main character, was South Africa’s most-loved export scoring 7.7 out of 10.

What about the best-sellers?

While the IMDb ratings tell one story, video game sales offer a different glimpse into the biggest-hitting titles of all time, where Nintendo dominates. Wii Sports tops that list with 82.65million worldwide sales – predominantly as part of bundle packages with the hugely popular Wii console.

Super Mario Bros (40.24million units sold), Mario Kart Wii (35.98million), Wii Sports Resort (32.9million) and Pokémon Red/Green/Blue Version (31.37million) make up the rest of the top five.