Recently, TV Asashi in Japan polled 50,000 gamers to figure out the country’stop 100 favorite video games of all timeand rank them in order. TV Asashi shared the results in a special three hour program, shining a spotlight on Japan’s gaming tastes. One of the more interesting revelations from the poll, though, was just how much theNintendo Switchhas been dominating in the country since its launch.
TheNintendo Switchis a powerhouse in Japan, with many of the best selling games in Japan being Switch titles. If anyone needed more evidence of how popular the Nintendo Switch is in Japan, they just need to look at Japan’s 10 favorite video games according to the TV Asashi poll. Despite the Nintendo Switch only being about four years old at this point, multiple Switch games appear in Japan’s top 10 favorite games of all time.
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Here are the top 10 video games of all time according to Japan.
2. Dragon Quest 5
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
Before diving into the Switch games that hit the top 10, it’s worth pointing out that many games in the full top 100 list are playable on the Switch. The Nintendo Switch gives players access to NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and other legacy games through its Nintendo Switch Online service, so there’s plenty for owners of Nintendo’s home console/handheld hybrid to check out. For example, the game in the number 10 position on this list of Japan’s favorite games isSuper Mario Bros. 3, one of the most highly-rated platformers of all time and a game that is readily playable on the Nintendo Switch through theNintendo Switch Online subscription service.
The first new Nintendo Switch game in the list is the seventh entry,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A Nintendo Switch exclusive game,Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis the latest installment in Nintendo’s ambitious crossover fighting game series.Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis lives up to its namesake as the “ultimate"Super Smash Bros.game, featuring virtually every fighter from past entries while also introducing plenty of new fighters to the mix as well.
TheSuper Smash Bros. UltimateDLC fightershelped branch the series out like never before, even adding Xbox-owned characters to the roster like Banjo-Kazooie and Steve fromMinecraft. It’s hard to see howSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecould possibly be topped, but it will definitely be interesting to see if Nintendo ever makes an attempt. WithSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatebeing named one of Japan’s favorite games, it has certainly set the bar high.
The next Nintendo Switch game that made the top 10 is another exclusive to the platform.Splatoon 2is the sequel to the Wii U multiplayer gameSplatoonthat features similar gameplay but with more modes and features. Fans already know that aSplatoon 3game is in development for the Switch, but it remains to be seen if it will be quite as popular asSplatoon 2has proven to be.
Right afterSplatoon 2is none other thanAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, which shouldn’t come as a big surprise.Animal Crossing: New Horizonshas been a massive success for Nintendo, smashing some software sales records and helping drive Switch console sales at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nintendo helped keep fans interested inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsfor the long haul by regularly releasing content updates for the game that added new features and NPCs, and it just recently released the acclaimedHappy Home Paradisepaid DLCfor it as well.
And finally, the game that Japan picked as the best video game ever made isThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is available for both the Wii U as well as the Nintendo Switch.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis one of the most critically-acclaimed video games made to date, and is generally considered a massive step forward for theZeldafranchise.Breath of the Wildbeing such a high quality game is why hype is so high for the sequel, though Nintendo has still kept it mostly underwraps for now.
There is nope that theBreath of the Wildsequel release datewill be sometime in 2022, but Nintendo has not made any official announcement just yet. And while it’s hard to say ifBreath of the Wild 2news will come anytime soon, there will definitely be Nintendo Switch game news in the month ahead, and it’s possible some of those upcoming games could crack the top 10 in a similar poll one day.
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