The 10 Most Popular Games, According To YouTube

There's a list of the most popular games on YouTube and what people love viewing more than anything else on the market. Some of the games might surprise you while others will make you scoff and go “Well, of course that game is on the list”.

Game Informer did a recent rundown of the list of top 10 of the most popular games that people are viewing and watching, according to YouTube. Of course, given that it is a list you can check through to see which game ranks where starting at number 10 and filtering down to number 1.

10. Dota 2

At the top of the list is Dota 2, Valve's official foray into the MOBA territory. The game features players capable of selecting a hero, joining up with other players and partaking in a battle of strategy and skill to control the battle landscape. The game is now known quite well in the tournament e-sports scene due to the high-stakes monetary value associated with the scene. The game showed up a little late to the MOBA scene compared to titles like League of Legends but its popularity on YouTube seems to be cemented in there amongst the greats.

9. Puzzle & Dragons

I'm completely unfamiliar with Puzzle & Dragons and it makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever why a Bejeweled clone would be popular to watch on YouTube amongst gamers. Perhaps for strategy and tactical reasons? No idea. The game is on Android and Apple mobile devices and is one of those games where you have to match up the three objects with each other to score points. Why this game is popular to watch on YouTube is absolutely beyond me, but maybe the video above will give you a hint.

8. Five Nights at Freddy's (series)

Why am I completely not surprised that this game series is on the list? This is one of the fastest growing and most popular gaming franchises on the market right now. Scott Cawthon's Five Nights at Freddy's is a kind of low-fi, single-room horror game where strategy, smarts and pop-out scares rule the day. The game series has become so popular that Warner Bros has stepped in to acquire the rights to make an official movie. How insane is that? As you can see in the collage of scare moments above, the game can be kind of nerve wrecking.

7. The Sims (series)

Now here's a game series that kind of stumps me. I understand that The Sims is extremely popular and people love to mod the crap out of the games. However, are they really that fun to watch on YouTube? Apparently so if EA and Maxis' The Sims has managed to rank seventh on the list of games most watched on YouTube. Then again, it might make sense given that a lot of people look for building ideas, clothing ideas and creative family ideas when sculpting their own little world in The Sims.

6. Garry's Mod

As old as this game is, I can definitely see why Facepunch Studios' Garry's Mod is on the list. With very popular folks like VenturianTale making videos detailing a lot of the new mods for the game or a bunch of crazy mods completely changing how the game is played, it's easy to see how Garry's Mod would maintain popularity on YouTube. Some of the mods are also really creative and out there, sort of like Gmod Tower, which is becoming its very own game.

5. FIFA (series)

EA's FIFA series of games ranks fifth on the list. It's another sports title where the annual outings are more similar than not, but I can definitely understand how this particular game series could garner massive amounts of popularity on YouTube. Soccer (football to the rest of the world) is extremely popular the world around, so it's not surprising that it would attract a lot of gamers from all over to view the footage on YouTube, especially matches that recreate popular bouts from the World Cup.

4. Call of Duty (series)

If this wasn't high up on the list someone would deserve to get spawn-trolled. Call of Duty is obviously going to be viewed a lot on YouTube because 1.) it's popular in the e-sports scene a lot of people will need to learn to get good and 2.) because of NSFW videos like the one above where some grown man is trolling a little kid and it gets close to a million views just so people can hear a 10 year old whine like a little baby. I kid you not, the trolling videos of Call of Duty are easily some of the most popular out there.

3. League of Legends

I've tried watching tournaments of League of Legends but it's just tough for me to get into. There's a lot to process and it feels like the rewards are too little in the pay-off when it comes to entertainment values. Nevertheless, YouTubers absolutely adore and love League of Legends. It makes sense given that the game is another massive financial mover and shaker in the e-sports scene and sees a lot of people looking up videos learning how to play various characters under specific conditions.

2. Grand Theft Auto (series)

If the video above with nearly 10 million views featuring The Hulk fighting Iron Man isn't an indicator as to why GTA is so high up on the list then nothing will convince you. The entire GTA series is extremely popular on YouTube, whether it's cruising around in Vice City, picking up hookers in the first-person mode in GTA V or seeing hundreds of people battle it out in the GTA: San Andreas multiplayer mod, the entire Rockstar franchise is a honeypot for views on YouTube.

1. Minecraft

Oh boy, Minecraft. Imagine all of the previously mentioned games on this list and all the reasons why people love watching those games and then combine them together and you get Minecraft. From parodies and songs, like the video above, to trolling little kids to making awesome buildings to tutorials and everything else in between, Minecraft is the sweet spot of gaming on YouTube and kids, adults, teenagers and everyone else walking this green-grassed Earth seems to enjoy watching Minecraft on YouTube for one reason or another.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.