You might have known that games were popular in Canada, but did you know how popular? It turns out that Canada is one of the leading game-playing nations in the world, with some 23 million of us — more than 60% of the population — routinely playing games.
And it turns out that we’re just as diverse in our game-playing habits as we are in everything else. In this post, we’re going to take a look at six of the most popular game genres in Canada, which includes everything from top-selling action video games to non-digital classics.
Action Games
According to a report from Statista, action games are the most commonly played games in Canada, with more than 30% of gamers saying it’s their preferred type of title. And it’s not hard to see why. While gaming has improved as a whole in the past couple of decades, action games in particular have seen significant progress. Today’s action games are several levels above what was on offer just a couple of decades ago and are much more ambitious in scope.
Some of the top-selling action games in Canada include Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and God of War.
Casual Games
Gaming has become wildly popular in the past decade, and that’s due, in large part, to the invention of the iPhone, which allowed everyday people to access quality games. Whereas some people like playing serious, award-winning major games on their consoles, many others are happy to play simple but fun and enjoyable casual games on their smartphones. If you’re ever on the Toronto Metro or Vancouver SkyTrain during rush hour, just take a look at how many people are playing casual games while they travel.
Slot and Arcade Games
Slot and arcade games have been popular in Canada for a long, long time. The slot machine was invented in 1894 just down the coast from Canada, in San Francisco, and not long after made its way north. Arcade games have been popular since the 1980s, with many Canadian video game companies being involved in the popularisation of the genre. Today, Canadians still enjoy playing those games, just in a different format. Instead of playing traditional one-armed-bandit games, they’ll play online at websites that have hundreds of options. That new slot games are continually being released helps ensure that the genre never goes out of style. For arcade games, Canadians play online — many classic offerings are available directly from within Google’s browser page — or at one of the many arcade bars that still exist across the country.
Sports Games
You don’t need us to tell you that Canada is a sports-loving country. And they don’t just enjoy watching it on television or participating in sports directly; they also love playing video game versions of the sport, too.
As you might expect, NHL 24 is the most popular sports video game in the country. Hockey is the most popular sport in Canada, so there’s no surprise there. Soccer games have also proven to do well in Canada, especially since the sport has been steadily growing in popularity in recent years. The FIFA series always sold well before it was discontinued, while the new offering Ultimate Football League is gaining a foothold, too.
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RPG Games
Is it any wonder that RPGs — Role Playing Games — are popular in Canada? After all, they’re popular all over the world. The best RPGs are ones that have worldwide appeal, so it’s no surprise that we see hugely successful titles such as Mass Effect 2 and Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim doing well in Canada.
Non-Digital Games
Finally, we have to mention all those historically non-digital games that are popular with Canadians, too. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and blackjack are all popular in Canada, especially in Vancouver and Toronto. Chess, in particular, has a large following, and has done so for a long time — Canada has a history of producing excellent chess players, such as Mark Bluvshtein and Pascal Charbonneau, and also hosts international chess tournaments.