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

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 1^st to 6^th graders. 3^rd 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. 

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. 

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.