According to Newzoo, the Asia-Pacific region is home to about 55% of the world’s 3 billion gaming population. But what are these gamers really playing? While it is obvious that different gamers have different tastes and preferences, some titles are more popular than others. Players pick games from specific developers for different reasons too.
In the past, gamers’ options were limited to a handful of console and PC titles. Today, the gaming industry is flooded with different games across a wide variety of categories. Besides console games, one can try over gaming formats such as mobile gaming, online casino gaming, and a host of other popular options.
This page seeks to highlight the most popular games among Asian gamers. Let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of the topic.
Online Casino Games
Unlike in the olden days, you do not have to visit a land-based casino to enjoy your favorite casino titles. Technology has made it possible for players to enjoy virtual casino gaming sessions remotely. Internet casinos have been gaining more popularity over the past few years.
Upon registering with an online casino and making a deposit, you can start playing games such as slots, poker, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, craps, and video poker among other. Real-money online casinos give you an opportunity to make money while having fun.
Since there are thousands of online casinos on the market, it will take you some effort to
discover a great Asia online casino. There are several factors that you will have to consider when choosing the right online casino for your iGaming needs.
These factors include bonus offers, game collections, payment options, safety & security, customer services, trustworthiness, and legitimacy, among others.
The Asian Video Gaming Industry
Asia is arguably the largest video gaming market globally, with countless video games and players. China, South Korea, and Japan are the top video game markets in Asia and hence lead in setting the pace and trends as to which games become the most popular.
Much like other continental markets like Europe, you cannot expect to find homogeneity in the Asian gaming scene. Below are the most
popular Video games in Asia:
Horizon Zero Dawn
This game is more popular in the Chinese and Japanese markets. It’s a 2017 action role-playing title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment but developed by Guerrilla Games. The Horizon Zero Dawn plot follows a young huntress, Aloy, in a universe overrun by machines as she tries to uncover her past.
Players use ranged weapons and stealth to combat enemy forces, mostly mechanical creatures.
Horizon Zero Dawn's popularity in Asia began after the title showed up under the radar of the biggest Asian video game retailer, Play Asia, in 2017.
Persona 5
This title is mostly popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. It’s a 2016 role-playing game by Atlus. Persona 5 was the sixth release of the Persona series. The game takes place in modern-day Tokyo, following a high school student, Joker, who just transferred to a new school after being accused of assault and being put on probation.
Joker and a few other students awaken to a special power, forming a secret group of vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. This group sets out to explore the metaverse, which is a supernatural real, borne of humanity’s subconscious desires to robe malevolent intent from human adult hearts.
Like with all previous games in the Persona series, players have to battle enemies known as shadows using physical manifestations of their psyche, their personas. The title incorporates dungeon crawling and role-playing elements alongside social simulations.
Overwatch
Overwatch is mostly popular in Taiwan, South Korea, and Vietnam. This first-person shooter is a multi-player team-based game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Often referred to as the hero shooter, Overwatch divides players into two teams of six.
Each player must then select from a roster of characters known as heroes. Each hero has unique abilities. The teams must work together to complete map-specific goals within limited timeframes.
Overwatch was released for Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, and Nintendo Switch. Since the game’s launch in 2016, the developer has released several performance patches and cross-platform play supported across all gaming platforms.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
This title is mostly popular among Indian and Iranian gamers. CoD Infinite Warfare is a 2016 first-person shooter title developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game comes as the 13th installation of the
Call of Duty series and was released as a cross-platform supported on Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation.
The CoD Infinite Warfare campaign revolves around a battle for the solar system. The Settlement Defense Front (SDF) is the main antagonist force that attempts a hostile takeover. As the player, your role is to lead Lieutenant Nick Reyes of the Special Combat Air Recon (SCAR) to take charge of the situation.
DOTA 2
Mostly popular in Myanmar, the Philippines, and Mongolia. DOTA 2 is typically the successor to the Defense of the Ancients, which was a community-generated mod of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
It’s a multiplayer online battle arena title played in teams of five. Each team must establish and defend its base. DOTA 2 is by far the most well-received and popular game in Asia. The game recently received the “Universal Acclaim” on Metacritic.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
It is definitely worth mentioning PUBG, which was developed by Bluehole’s subsidiary, PUBG Corp. The game has grown to become a great hit with record peaks, with over 3 million players in the first single hour – that was three times DOTA 2’s record of 1 million gamers in the first hour.
The mobile version of PUBG allowed the Chinese gaming company Tencent to expand outside of China and double its revenue in the process.
PlayersUnknown’s Battleground is an online multiplayer battle royale title inspired by the 2000 Japanese cult classic Battle Royale.
Battlefield
Popular in Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Battlefield is essentially a series of first-person shooter games developed by Sweden-based EA DICE and published by an American company, Electric Arts.
The game started out on OS X and Microsoft Windows with Battlefield 1942, which launched in 2002. As of 2012, the Battlefield series had been played by over 50 million gamers globally, across 11 games and 12 expansions released in a decade.
Battlefield features a particular focus on teamwork, large maps, and vehicle warfare. PC titles in the series focus on online multiplayer.