The gaming industry has been leading entertainment for the last few years. This is particularly true in the Asia-Pacific markets, as mobile gaming has led to a major revolution in accessibility. As 5G connectivity increases, so will smartphone activity. Toss in the rise of mobile eSports and there’s even more reason for businesspeople within this region to focus on gaming.
While video gaming has been on the rise globally, many titles are regionally popular. Keeping APAC in mind, titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Garena Free Fire are increasingly popular for competitive gamers. But beyond the scope of certain countries and regions, what’s most popular?
Let’s take a look at the most popular games in the world across PC, console, and mobile, using the latest data from Latis Global, Sensor Tower, and New Zoo.
Blackjack
Globally, casino games are a hugely popular category. Though they aren’t clumped under video games traditionally, they’ve been around a lot longer—which means the market reach of casino games is truly global. This is particularly true for blackjack, which is offered at almost every online and mobile casino.
Players usually choose between a few varieties and may have the ability to opt into something like blackjack insurance on certain bets. This casino banking game is popular thanks to its straightforward set of rules, minimal house edge, and mathematics-based challenges. It makes it one of the most ‘approachable’ games for players who have never explored casino titles before.
Counter-Strike
According to data from New Zoo, Counter-Strike 2 had the largest number of players log in for a session in September 2023 than any other game. Compared to other titles on this list, Counter-Strike has been around for a while. Just like blackjack, it benefits from its name recognition. The original release came all the way back in 2000—but it’s the 2023 release of Counter-Strike 2 that has put this game further up on the charts this year.
Another reason that CS has become a hugely popular game is thanks to its status as an eSports title. Some of the most-followed eSports leagues in the world focus on CS, along with the flashiest eSports players. This makes it one of the first games that any shooter fan will try out when downloading a new title, especially those who want to compete at a high level.
Minecraft
This straightforward game helped put sandbox titles on the map. Sandbox titles are games that allow players to create their own goals and adventures. In Minecraft, a player’s goal is simply to build and stretch their creativity. If they want, they can try out its survival mode in order to add a bit more context, structure, and challenge to the game.
However, it’s worth pointing out that the magic behind Minecraft, along with similar titles like ROBLOX, is that it’s all about choosing your own adventure. Rather than pitting players against one another in a competitive sense, the game lets players explore their interests in a casual sense. For this reason, Minecraft is hugely popular with gamers of all different ages and with different levels of interest in gaming.
Fortnite
Fortnite builds on the magic of titles like Minecraft and Counter-Strike in that it combines elements of casual gaming with competitive gaming. Players can choose from one of three gaming modes. The battle royale mode pits 100 players against one another in a fight-to-the-death scenario; another mode focuses on defending a tower against zombies alongside other players; the last is an open-world sandbox mode that lets players create whatever they like.
The freedom to choose between these three modes has given Fortnite a leg up on similar titles, which may only offer a battle royale mode or a sandbox mode that allows them to build their own adventures and worlds. However, it’s the battle royale mode that has been the most popular for players. In the first year of its release, Fortnite Battle Royale had more than 150 million players worldwide.
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