Minecraft is still the most played game among Japan’s grade schoolers in 2024 

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Minecraft

The latest annual survey conducted by Game Trainer in May 2024 has revealed that Minecraft remains the most popular video game among Japan’s elementary school children. In 2022, Minecraft knocked Fortnite off the top spot in the survey- making it kids’ most played game for 2 years in a row. 

The online questionnaire received responses from 327 elementary school children from throughout Japan, ranging from 1st to 6th graders. 3rd graders were the most represented group with 61 responders. The survey asked participants which game they have been playing the most. 29.35% responded with Minecraft, followed by Splatoon (13.45%) and Fortnite (6.42%). The top three games were the same as 2023, except that Minecraft’s share increased by 4.75% in 2024, whereas the number of frequent Splatoon and Fortnite players fell. 

Pie ring chart showing Japanese elementary school children's top played games in 2024
The top played games among elementary school children in Japan as of May 2024: (Clockwise from top right: Minecraft 29.35%, Splatoon: 13.45%, Fortnite 6.42%, Animal Crossing 5.81%, Mario series 5.55%, Mario Kart 4.28%, Super Smash Bros. 4.28%, Suika Game 3.05%, Roblox 3.05% Zelda series 2.14%, Kirby series 1.52%, Other (31 titles) 16.52%). (Image Credit: PR Times/Game Trainer) 

The survey also asked children which gaming YouTuber they watch the most. HikakinGames has proven the most popular again this year, with 20.20% of the vote. The Japanese YouTuber has been the top result in this survey for 5 years in a row. 

Minecraft
Minecraft can help children develop problem solving techniques, learn to manage resources, and unleash their creativity.

The conductor of the survey, Game Trainer (Gemutore), is a company that offers online educational programs for children which harness the power of games to teach concentration, information processing, programming and communication skills. It should be noted that both Minecraft and Fortnite feature on Game Trainer’s homepage- which may explain why these games have been in the top three on Game Trainer’s surveys.   

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Verity Townsend
Verity Townsend

Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.

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  1. Most likely this is because Minecraft is the original Open Survival Craft and it allows streaming. If more Japanese Games started to go this route like Palworld, Minecraft would move down on the charts pretty quickly lol.