Japan’s PlayStation Store has listed Final Fantasy IX as its most downloaded title for July. This coincides with the game celebrating 25 years since its initial release in Japan on July 7, 2000.
For reference, the top three PlayStation 4 downloads in Japan for July are Final Fantasy IX, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition, and Monster Hunter: World. Whereas Dragon Quest XI and Monster Hunter: World ranked fifth and third last June, Final Fantasy IX wasn’t even on the list. However, its sudden jump to number one could indeed be thanks to the game’s 25th anniversary being celebrated all over Japan, thus prompting many fans to revisit the classic game.
Over in the USA and Canada, the top three downloads for the PlayStation 4 are Red Dead Redemption 2, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Batman: Arkham Knight. Despite the two online stores featuring similar libraries (some games are region locked), it can be safe to say that a good number of PlayStation 4 users in Japan currently prefer JRPGS while those in the West love action/multiplayer games. Given that the PlayStation 4 is almost twelve years old, it isn’t surprising that the top downloads for the console feature older titles, several of which are usually on sale.
The top downloads for the PlayStation 5 on the PS Store also feature different titles between Japan and the USA/Canada. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers are the top 3 most downloaded games in Japan for July, while EA Sports College Football 26, Ready or Not, and Grand Theft Auto V reigned in the USA/Canada.
While the PlayStation VR2 category shows fewer differences between countries (Beat Saber always manages to find a place in the top three), the free-to-play title category is where players seem to have similar tastes. Apex Legends, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X, and Fortnite are the Japan PlayStation Store’s top three most downloaded titles, whereas Apex Legends dropped to tenth place in favor of Fortnite in the USA/Canada. Roblox took second place while Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X took third place in the Western countries.
