Nintendo Japan recently released its annual download ranking for 2023, with the 2021 indie puzzle game Suika Game taking the top spot from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Suika Game is a puzzle game where players stack fruits to combine them into the largest possible ones before the screen fills with them. It became a breakout hit this year in part due to its popularity among streamers.
Though exact figures have not been released, it is impressive that such a small indie game released two years ago was able to surpass a major title like Tears of the Kingdom. The price likely played a factor, as it only costs ¥240, which is less than $2.00, compared to Zelda’s ¥7,900 ($56.02).
Also notable is Pikmin 4’s third place spot, beating titles like Super Mario Wonder and last year’s Splatoon 3, a good sign for the returning franchise’s future. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still made the top 10, six years after its release and almost a full decade after the original launched. As the highest-selling Switch game, and with the release of the Booster Course Pass DLC over the course of the year, it’s not likely to be leaving the charts anytime soon.
Here’s the full 2023 download ranking:
- Suika Game
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Pikmin 4
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Splatoon 3
- Overcooked 2
- Super Mario RPG
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Pokemon Violet
- Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 2
- Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
- Minecraft
- Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1
- Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Human: Fall Flat
- Persona 4 Golden
- Among Us
- Momotaro Dentetsu World: Chikyuu wa Kibou de Mawatteru
- Pikmin 2
- Pokemon Scarlet
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Pikmin 1
- Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban