Is Minecraft the most popular game in the world 2020?

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Written By Jonny

Gaming can be a fickle industry, with audiences hopping from one game to the next without much thought. Because of this, games that can retain audiences for years are regarded as very special.

But in Q1 2022, no new releases cracked the top 10 most-played games in the first three months of this year. According to Mat Piscatella of the NPD Group, the most-played game so far is Minecraft, which was released in 2009. Popular games from 2020, such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, were also featured.

Arguably the hottest release this year, Elden Ring didn’t even make it above No. 20. This alone proves how hard it is for a new game to make an impression on a wider audience.

In the tweets below this, Piscatella elaborates on his team’s findings, like how live service games are “gravity wells” for retaining player attention. He says that both big and small games will need to be more aggressive to break through these evergreen titles. According to him, services like Xbox Game Pass and PS+ will help, but it still may be tough.

Instead of working with aggressive sales goals and marketing budgets, Piscatella asks why don’t these big publishers launch their games onto subscription services on day one. This almost immediately guarantees a player base as users will always be looking for new games on this service.

Piscatella said that game companies think they must meet certain sales goals before putting their game on a subscription service. Instead, he says that companies should try the traditional route, and if it doesn’t work, try new routes like subscription services or something else that puts the game in front of as many players as possible.

As of May 2020, Microsoft had over 126 million players, which is a big number considering it isn’t free to play. So, if there is a list of most popular games of all time, then Minecraft will definitely be in the top 5.

Most Popular Games (2004 – 2021) but is a MUSICAL BATTLE

Apex Legends – 411,183 (Steam)

Is Minecraft the most popular game in the world 2020?

Respawn’s Apex Legends stealth dropped out of nowhere and then proceeded to take the battle royale genre by storm. It proved the perfect recipe of compelling gameplay, AAA production quality, and a free-to-play business model that saw it succeed in temporarily dethroning Fortnite and PUBG as most-played and most-watched multiplayer games.

The numbers have definitely dipped since its opening month saw a record 2 million concurrent players, but despite the occasional bump along the way, its community has remained pretty sizeable. It’s safe to say that Apex has muscled its way into the genre and secured its place for the foreseeable future.

So far, Apex Legends has peaked at 411,183 on Steam alone in 2022. With console numbers added in there, we wouldn’t be surprised if the total was edging a million on a good day.

Dota 2 – 786,118

Is Minecraft the most popular game in the world 2020?

Another game that’s up in concurrent player numbers year-on-year is Dota 2. Its growth actually seems at odds with the popular opinion that Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre is dying. Sure, it’s true that MOBA games aren’t seeing growth like they once were, but don’t for a second think that they’re going anywhere anytime soon.

DOTA 2, the sequel to the genre’s founding father, still eclipses most of the competition. Over the past 12 months, it’s regularly nearing a million concurrent players, and sometimes exceeding that total, despite having been around for nearly a decade.

Like CS: GO, its esports presence has nurtured a passionate community of players that aren’t in any hurry to move onto a new IP. DOTA 2 is also a big noise in the east, particularly in China, which accounts for a substantial percentage of its player base.

Most Popular Games in 2022

This list is according to the most sold copies on all the platforms to date. So, here are the most popular video games in the world:

  • Minecraft – 238M Copies Sold
  • Grand Theft Auto V – 165M Copies Sold
  • EA Tetris – 100M Copies Sold
  • Wii Sports – 82.9M Copies Sold
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – 75M Copies Sold
  • Super Mario Bros. – 58M Copies Sold
  • Mario Kart 8 & Deluxe – 53.7M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Red and Blue – 47.5M Copies Sold
  • Terraria – 44.5M Copies Sold
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 – 44M Copies Sold
  • Wii Fit & Wii Fit Plus – 43.8M Copies Sold
  • Nintendo Tetris – 43M Copies Sold
  • Pac-Man – 42M Copies Sold
  • The Witcher 3 – 40M Copies Sold
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 38.6M Copies Sold
  • Mario Kart Wii – 37.3M Copies Sold
  • Wii Sports Resort – 33.1M Copies Sold
  • New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo DS – 30.8M Copies Sold
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii – 30.3M Copies Sold
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 30M Copies Sold
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – 30M Copies Sold
  • Diablo III & Reaper of Souls – 30M Copies Sold
  • Human: Fall Flat – 30M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Gold, Silver & Crystal – 29.4M Copies Sold
  • Duck Hunt – 28.3M Copies Sold
  • Wii Play – 28M Copies Sold
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 27.5M Copies Sold
  • Super Mario World – 26.6M Copies Sold
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 26.5M Copies Sold
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops – 26.2M Copies Sold
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 25.8M Copies Sold
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 25.7M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Sun and Moon & Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – 25.2M Copies Sold
  • Grand Theft Auto IV – 25M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum – 24.7M Copies Sold
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 – 24.4M Copies Sold
  • Call of Duty Black Ops 2 – 24.2M Copies Sold
  • Kinect Adventures – 24M Copies Sold
  • FIFA 18 – 24M Copies Sold
  • Sonic the Hedgehog – 23.9M Copies Sold
  • Nintendogs – 23.9M Copies Sold
  • Mario Kart DS – 23.6M Copies Sold
  • Red Dead Redemption – 23M Copies Sold
  • Super Mario 64 / DS – 22.9M Copies Sold
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – 22.7M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Sword / Shield – 22.6M Copies Sold
  • Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald – 22.5M Copies Sold
  • Borderlands 2 – 22M Copies Sold
  • Super Mario Odyssey – 21.9M Copies Sold
  • New Super Mario Bros. U / Deluxe / Luigi U – 20.3M Copies Sold
  • FAQ

    What is the #1 game in 2022?

    PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG)

    PUBG is games number 1 in the world especially for battle royale game which is still very popular in 2022. Games which was released in 2018 has a very large number of players all over the world.

    Is Minecraft No 1 game in the world?

    The top #1 most played popular game in the world right now is Minecraft. Released back on 18 November 2011, Mojang Studios was able to sell above 238 million copies of the game across all platforms, with around 600 registered players. Minecraft has a good track record with constant updates and version releases.

     

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