Many gaming franchises will be celebrating key milestones in 2021; the Animal Crossing franchise celebrated 20 years in April, and Pokémon celebrated 25 years in February.
Determined to explore the world’s relationship with video games, ManySpins.com researched all classic video games that were celebrating a key milestone in 2021 – with a key milestone being determined as either a 20 year, 25 year, 30 year, or 35 year anniversary since the game’s initial release.
Utilising SEMrush, ManySpins.com then analysed the average monthly search volumes in every country* for each of the games celebrating a key milestone.
With over 100 games analysed, only 18 games were revealed as most popular in the 118 countries analysed!
For a full country by country breakdown, please see the ManySpins.com blog post: https://manyspins.com/blog/mapped-each-countrys-favourite-retro-video-game/
The Top 10 Retro Games Around the World
| Rank | Video Game | Release Year | Number of Countries Most Popular In |
| 1. | Super Mario 64 | 1996 | 34 |
| 2. | Metal Slug | 1996 | 19 |
| 2. | Super Mario World | 1991 | 19 |
| 3. | Pandemonium! | 1996 | 15 |
| 4. | Sonic 3D Blast | 1996 | 10 |
| 5. | Devil May Cry | 2001 | 9 |
| 6. | Dragon Quest | 1986 | 7 |
| 7. | Road Rash | 1991 | 6 |
| 8. | Battletoads | 1991 | 5 |
| 8. | Duke Nukem | 1991 | 5 |
| 9. | Mario Kart 64 | 1996 | 3 |
| 9. | Tetris Attack | 1996 | 3 |
| 10. | Bubble Bobble | 1986 | 2 |
ManySpins.com can reveal the most popular retro game is Super Mario 64! It is the most popular game in 34 different countries. The country with the highest number of monthly average search volumes is the United States with 74,000.
In joint second are Metal Slug and Super Mario World, with 19 different countries, respectively. Metal Slug is most popular in Argentina and Italy, with average monthly search volumes of 12,100, whilst Super Mario World is most popular in Peru, Mexico, and Brazil, with monthly search volumes of 60,500.
Pandemonium! lands in third place, taking the top spot in 15 countries. The most popular country of those is the United Kingdom, with 18,100 average monthly searches.
In fourth is Sonic 3D Blast (10 countries), fifth is Devil May Cry (nine countries), sixth Dragon Quest (seven countries) and in seventh place is Road Rash, being the most popular game in six countries.
Battletoads and Duke Nukem tie in eighth place, being the most searched for retro game in five countries each. The top country for Battletoads is Russia, with an average monthly search volume of 9,900, whilst Duke Nukem is most popular in Finland – 1,000 average monthly searches.
Joint ninth place goes to Mario Kart and Tetris Attack, both celebrating 25 year anniversaries. They are the most popular game in three different countries. Mario Kart is most popular in Afghanistan (1,300).
ManySpins.com can reveal that the 10th most popular classic game is Bubble Bobble, which is the most popular game in two countries, with the most popular being Greece at 1,300 monthly searches.
The Rest
The following games were most popular in only 1 country.
| Video Game | Release Year | Country Most Popular in |
| F-Zero | 1991 | Japan |
| Metroid | 1986 | Sweden |
| Tekken 2 | 1996 | Pakistan |
| Rolling Thunder | 1986 | New Zealand |
| Return to Castle Wolfenstein | 2001 | Czech Republic |
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