As the excitement from The Game Awards 2023 is gradually subsiding now that the winners are out in the open, it is high time for gamers to switch from their old favourites and add some 2023 blockbusters to their winter break’s must-play list.
Eager to discover the most played and searched-for video games in 2023, the team at BonusInsider embarked on a thrilling quest through the latest trends and news in the gaming universe. BonusInsider analyzed the search volumes for a total of 15 video games, all released in 2023, within the Computer & Video Games category from December 7, 2022, to December 7, 2023, on Google Trends and identified the most popular titles in 40 countries, visualizing our findings with a world map.
These are the most popular video games of 2023 around the world:
The Most Popular Games of 2023
In 2022, The Game Awards crowned Elden Ring developed by FromSoftware as Game of the Year. Elden Ring was the winner in multiple other categories such as Best Game Direction and Best Role Playing Game, selling over 20 million copies in a year.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This year, the winner in the Best Action/Adventure Game category— The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, has been the most popular video game on Google over the past 12 months. It is a long-awaited epic adventure follow-up to Breath of the Wild (2017), developed and published by Nintendo in 2023.
With its unfathomable open world and focus on exploration, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the most searched title in 17 out of all 40 countries we examined and one of the fastest-selling games on the Nintendo Switch, having sold over 10 million units in its first three days of release and more than 19.5 million by September 2023. It is the top game in countries from Central and North America, including Canada (52%), The United States (51%) and Mexico (51%). It is trendy in Europe as well, being the most searched title in France (72%), Spain (55%), Austria (55%), Germany (49%) and the UK (35%). The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has also been the most popular with audiences in The Dominican Republic (62%), Australia (48%), and New Zealand (48%).
Resident Evil 4
Another release, one of The Game Awards 2023’s nominees for Game of the Year and the top title in 9 out of all countries we looked at on Google is Resident Evil 4— a 2023 remake of the legendary 2005 game of the same name.
The survival horror installment, developed and published by Capcom, is one of the best-selling Resident Evil titles, having sold four million copies in its first two weeks of release and more than five million by July 2023. From smoother controls and improved graphics to a completely remastered plot that might surprise even die-hard fans of the original game, every aspect has been brought fully up-to-date for the current generation, becoming a total must-play experience.
Resident Evil 4 is the most searched-for video game in countries from South America and Asia— Iran (83%), Argentina (65%), India (66%), Brazil (63%) and Thailand (57%), to name a few.
EA Sports FC 24
EA Sports FC 24 is yet another extremely popular game on Google this year (in 9 out of all 40 countries) that brings its fans closer to football than ever before. It is the 31st overall installment of EA’s football simulation series, launching worldwide on 29 September 2023 for multiple platforms.
In the two weeks following its release, it reached 11.3 million players and topped the UK’s video game sales charts for physical copies. On Google, audiences in countries from Africa, including Zimbabwe (89%), Nigeria (71%), Egypt (52%), and South Africa (45%) have been enjoying EA Sports FC 24 more than any other 2023 game we looked at. It is the most searched title in Haiti (75%), Albania (62%), Jamaica (50%), and Romania (37%).
Baldur’s Gate 3
Here comes Baldur’s Gate 3— a widely searched release on Google and the winner of The Game Awards 2023’s Game of the Year! With its alluring gameplay, captivating narrative, and breathtaking production quality, Baldur’s Gate 3 surpassed the Larian studio’s expectations by selling 2.5 million copies on PC through Steam Early Access.
In addition to Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3 took home prizes for Best Performance, Best Community Support, Best Multiplayer, Best RPG, and Players’ Voice. Surprisingly, right after the show, Larian Studios launched the game on Xbox. According to the data collected on Google, it is the top-searched title in Taiwan (66%), China (44%), and Belarus (39%) over the past year.
Diablo IV
All hell breaks loose in our last but not least top popular 2023 video game— Diablo IV. The fourth installment of the Diablo series is an online-only release developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Whether you’re playing alone or with other adventurers, the game is impossible to put down as you slaughter demons, explore dungeons, and master new abilities.
Diablo IV generated $666 million in revenue within the first five days after launch and reached 12 million players by August 2023, becoming the fastest-selling game in Blizzard Entertainment’s history. According to the data we gathered, Diablo IV’s top fans are from South Korea with roughly 63% out of searches for the top 5 games we looked at on Google.
