TV Asahi, a Japanese TV station, has performed a reasonably respectable survey, and fifty thousand Japanese players’ taste in gaming resulted in creating a top 100, led by a relatively recent title.

The podium has three Japanese-developed games. The Legend of Zelda (which is on the list with several titles from the franchise) took the victory with the current title, Breath of the Wild (whose sequel is in development). It’s followed by Dragon Quest V (Super Famicom: 1992, PlayStation 2: 2004, Nintendo DS: 2008, with the first Western release in 2009, Android/iOS: 2014/2015), and third place went to Final Fantasy VII, proving how the 1997 PS1 title has indeed boosted the franchise into the mainstream around the world. (And Square Enix has two games on the podium, as Dragon Quest is another franchise in their hands.)

We’d have to go down to 13th place to find a Western game. Undertale is anything but Japanese (or AAA). But let’s go deeper… the first, more prominent, Western-developed PlayStation-exclusive is in #66 (Ghost of Tsushima). The Nintendo Switch took four places in the top 10, tilting the results in Nintendo’s favour (Chrono Trigger? SNES, then PS1; SMB3? NES… increasing the number to six, but even the internal developments, 1, 4, 5, 7, and 10, bring the ratio to 50%).

Here’s the complete list:

1.         The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2.         Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
3.         Final Fantasy VII
4.         Animal Crossing: New Horizons
5.         Splatoon 2
6.         Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation
7.         Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
8.         Chrono Trigger
9.         Final Fantasy X
10. Super Mario Bros. 3
11. Pokemon Diamond / Pearl
12. Super Mario Kart
13. UNDERTALE
14. Pokemon Sword / Shield
15. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
16. Kingdom Hearts II
17. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
18. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
19. Suikoden II
20. Minecraft
21. Splatoon
22. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
23. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
24. Pokemon Red / Green / Blue
25. Tetris
26. Pokemon Black / White
27. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
28. MOTHER 2 (Earthbound)
29. Okami
30. Apex Legends
31. Tactics Ogre
32. Biohazard (Resident Evil)
33. Final Fantasy VI
34. Final Fantasy V
35. Xenoblade 2
36. Pokemon Gold / Silver
37. Final Fantasy IX
38. Puyo Puyo
39. Dark Souls III
40. Xenogears
41. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa Heisei Reiwa mo Teiban!
42. Persona 5
43. Xenoblade
44. Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online
45. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
46. Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line
47. Final Fantasy XIV
48. NieR: Automata
49. Kingdom Hearts
50. Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire
51. Final Fantasy IV
52. The Legend of Zelda
53. Tales of the Abyss
54. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
55. Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits / Fleshy Souls / Psychic Specters
56. Super Mario Galaxy
57. Super Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
58. Animal Crossing
59. Dead by Daylight
60. Pokemon Black 2 / White 2
61. Super Smash Bros.
62. Xevious
63. Final Fantasy III
64. Pokemon Heart Gold / Soul Silver
65. Suikoden
66. Ghost of Tsushima
67. Bloodborne
68. Pokemon X / Y
69. Super Mario RPG
70. Monster Hunter: World
71. Dr. Mario
72. Kirby Super Star
73. Gran Turismo 4
74. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
75. Animal Crossing: Wild World
76. Kirby Air Ride
77. Mario Kart Wii
78. Nobunaga’s Ambition: Zenkokuban
79. Metal Gear Solid
80. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
81. Dragon Quest Builders 2
82. Legend of Mana
83. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
84. Final Fantasy XI
85. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
86. Monster Hunter
87. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
88. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
89. Super Mario Galaxy 2
90. Final Fantasy VIII
91. Street Fighter II
92. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
93. Persona 5 Royal
94. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
95. MOTHER (Earthbound Beginnings)
96. Romance of the Three Kingdoms
97. Super Mario World
98. Persona 4
99. Pokemon Platinum Version
100. Persona 3

Source: Gematsu