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With that in mind, ManySpins.com were interested in finding out which retro video games are most popular across the globe. To do this, we analysed monthly searches for the world’s most memorable video games by each country to reveal the following games to have had the greatest popularity in each nation…
Europe
Across Europe, Super Mario 64 ranked as a firm favourite among 15 countries on the continent, including but not limited to Norway and Sweden which both had an average monthly search volume of 1,600 for the game, followed by Austria (1,300), and Germany (9,900).
However, Super Mario 64 wasn’t the only popular classic game in Europe from the Mario Bros series as Super Mario World boasted high search volumes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Sweden, ranking as either the single most searched for retro video game in these countries or the joint most searched for (ranking alongside another game).
The average monthly search volumes for the game in these countries are as follows:
- Bosnia & Herzegovina (210)
- Israel (590)
- Croatia (390)
- Bulgaria (210)
- Sweden (1,600)
Duke Nukem was yet another popular choice among European countries, ranking as the most searched for retro video game in six, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Of those countries, the highest average monthly search volume came from Finland, with residents making 1,000 searches on average each month for the retro title. Bulgaria makes 210 searches per month on average, Slovakia makes 480, and Estonia, Lithuania, and Slovenia each make 140 each.
Sonic 3D Blast, Metal Slug and Devil May Cry also ranked as the favourite retro video games in numerous European countries, showing widespread popularity for the titles right across the region.
Asia and the Pacific
In Asia and the Pacific, retro games from the Mario Bros series proved popular once again with Super Mario 64 proving to be the most popular retro game in Azerbaijan, Brunei, and Mongolia, with each making an average of 70 searches per month.
Mario Kart 64 was Afghanistan’s most popular retro game with searches reaching an average of 50 per month, and Super Mario World was the most popular retro video game title in Cambodia with 4,400.
Metal Slug was also hugely popular, ranking as the most popular retro video game in six different countries within the region. In particular, Metal Slug had particularly high searches per month on average in Hong Kong (33,100), the Philippines (5,400), and Malaysia (3,600). The game is also the most popular retro video game in South Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan with 880, 6,600 and 1,000 searches on average each month, respectively.
Road Rash was also popular, ranking as the most popular retro video game in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam. The number of monthly searches for the retro title in India was the highest at 33,100. Meanwhile, the average monthly search volumes in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Vietnam are 1,900, 480 and 3,600, respectively.
Africa
In Africa, Super Mario 64 was the most popular retro video title in most countries – seven to be exact – including Angola, Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Each of these countries boasts 70 searches for the retro title on average each month.
The second most popular across the continent was Sonic 3D Blast, which was the joint most popular retro video game in Angola, Cape Verde, Namibia, and Zimbabwe alongside Super Mario 64. In these countries, searches for Sonic 3D Blast reached 70 on average each month.
When it came to the countries in Africa making the highest number of searches on average each month for a single retro game, though, Pandemonium! came out on top. In Nigeria and South Africa, the retro video game amassed a staggering 1,900 monthly searches each – even higher than the number of searches made for Super Mario 64 across Africa overall.
Metal Slug also featured five times, ranking as the most popular retro video game title in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia with 1,300 monthly searches on average each. It was also the most popular retro title in Cameroon and Senegal, with respective average monthly search volumes of 170 and 110.
Middle East
In the Middle East, Super Mario 64 and Dragon Quest ranked as the most popular video game in two countries each. Alongside Sonic 3D Blast, Super Mario 64 was the most searched for retro video game in Oman, with 70 searches on average each month. It was also the most searched for in Libya and Bahrain, with 70 monthly searches in each country.
Meanwhile, Dragon Quest was the most popular retro video game in Kuwait with residents making 260 searches on average each month, and Saudi Arabia where it had an average of 1,300.
Throughout the rest of the Middle East, Egypt’s most popular retro video game, with monthly searches reaching an average of 880, was Road Rash. Jordan’s most searched for retro video game was Metal Slug with 170 searches, Lebanon’s was Pandemonium! with 110 searches, and the United Arab Emirates’ was Devil May Cry, with 1,600.
North and South America
In the United States, the most popular retro video game is Super Mario 64, as our research uncovered Americans make an average of 74,000 searches for the title on average each month. Meanwhile, in Canada, the most popular retro title was Dragon Quest, which had 8,800 searches on average each month.
In Latin America, Super Mario World was the most popular classic video game across 12 countries. The retro gaming title had the highest number of searches in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, all of which made 60,500 searches on average each month, rendering it the most popular retro video game in these countries.
Other Mario Bros video games were also popular, with Super Mario 64 ranking as the most searched for classic video game in Panama with 390 searches on average each month, and Mario Kart 64 placing as Nicaragua and El Salvador’s most popular retro game, with 720 and 1,300 average monthly searches, respectively.
Tetris Attack was also among the most popular retro video games in Central and South America, ranking as the most popular retro video game in the Bahamas, Belize, and Guyana, with each country searching for this game 90 times per month on average.
Meanwhile, Metal Slug proved to be the most popular retro video game title in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Uruguay, with 12,100; 2,900; 5,400; and 590 monthly searches on average, respectively.
Methodology:
- ManySpins.com trawled through game databases to find games that were celebrating key milestones in 2021. Key milestones were defined as games celebrating 20, 25, 30, or 35 years since their initial release.
- Utilising SEMrush, ManySpins.com retrieved average monthly search volumes for all games celebrating key milestone anniversaries in order to determine the most popular retro game in each country that SEMrush had data for.*
- Some games were due to their names being synonymous with characters or other popular terms; this decision was made as searches for these games could not be guaranteed to represent specifically the game.**
- All data was collected on 18/05/2021 and is correct as of then but subject to change.
- The countries were then divided into regional classifications in accordance with the International Telecommunications Union. Please note that the regional classifications are not strictly geographical.
*The following countries were excluded due to no search volume data available: Uzbekistan, Yemen, Côte d’Ivoire, North Korea, Niger, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Mali, Syria, Chad, China, Iran, Tanzania, Burma, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Iraq.
**Excluded games were Sonic the Hedgehog, Civilization, Yoshi, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Crash Bandicoot, Residential Evil, Tomb Raider, Animal Crossing, Black & White, Burnout, Ico, Max Payne, Adventure Island