What a year it’s been. We’ve seen a host of terrific games come out (and some not-so-terrific ones), with ups and downs across the board. But what’s interesting is seeing which specific games people were searching for in 2023.
As noted by Geoff Keighley on social media, this year saw some pretty notable names cropping up on Google Trends summary of this year. In the top ten for this year, Hogwarts Legacy goes down as the most searched-for game on the site.
As praised as it was, some may be surprised it’s at number one, especially as it wasn’t nominated for any categories at this year’s Game Awards.
Below that is The Last of Us. Again, this might seem like a bit of a surprise, but the recent HBO show – which won Best Adaptation – may have given it a bit of a signal boost.
The surprises keep coming
Speaking of Game Award winners, there’s no sign of Alan Wake 2 on the Google list, despite the hype and subsequent accolades. Whether this is because the game only came out recently is something to perhaps consider.
I must admit, I’m surprised to see Atomic Heart at number nine. That game seemed to come and go with only a brief spot in the limelight. I haven’t even heard of Connections and Suika Game, the latter of which has been out since 2021, but only made its way to the west this year.
It is worth bearing in mind that this does consist of search terms on a global scale, so seeing something unfamiliar is perhaps to be expected.
It’s hard to know what to make of the list, though. This is, after all, what people have searched for on Google. Still, the fact that Spider-Man or Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom aren’t on there is a bit of a chin scratcher. But bless, Starfield made it. Good for it, I guess.
