Many games became a hot topic in 2025 as well. There is no end to the news every day, from blockbusters to new releases that surprised gamers by appearing like comets, to works that keep people’s eyes on them, for better or worse. In this context, it can be said that the games for which many articles were read were the subjects that attracted a great deal of interest.
Therefore, in this article, we will introduce in ranking format the 20 works that had particularly high “average number of article views” at AUTOMATON in 2025. The average number of views indicates that the work itself is attracting a lot of attention, regardless of the topic. There are a wide variety of titles, from unreleased new releases to firm favorites, and rankings are not necessarily determined solely by sales. Please note that for reasons of aggregation, articles up to the end of November are included.
1st place: “Monster Hunter Wilds”
The hunting action RPG “Monster Hunter Wilds” took first place. As the latest work in the “Monster Hunter” series, it shows a new horizon for the series, incorporating many new elements such as a field where the situation changes in real time and a new action “Concentration Mode” that allows you to attack at a targeted location.
In addition to the large number of articles, this work also has a large number of views per article. Particularly around the release date in February, all articles were viewed, ranking first not only in average but also in total number of views. It’s no wonder that it sold over 10 million copies in just one month after its release, due to the extraordinary level of interest. It seems that the most popular articles were articles that delve into the details of the specifications that users who are actually playing the game are concerned about, such as articles about the actual effects of the new skill “Chain Blade Stab” (Related articles）。
However, after that, dissatisfaction arose due to unstable operation of the Steam version and lack of end content. User reviews for the Steam version temporarily dropped to “overwhelmingly unpopular,” and there were also notable negative stories, such as the stock price of the publisher Capcom plummeting due to reports of lower-than-expected repeat sales.Related article 1、Related article 2). Since expectations are high, the fluctuation in ratings has also attracted a lot of attention.
The fourth title update for this work was just released the other day. Updates including the final update and improvements to the Steam version are also scheduled for next year, and given that the latest Steam user reviews have recovered to “mixed reviews,” it will continue to be interesting to see how far the game will improve going forward.
2nd place: “NTE: Neverness to Everness』
Second place went to “NTE: Neverness to Everness,” a free-to-play “city” open-world RPG. Set in a metropolitan heterocity where anomalies and humans coexist, the player, an anomaly hunter without a license, solves various requests. In an immersive city, you can play games that allow you to live your life with a high degree of freedom. Since its announcement in July 2024, the work has attracted attention for its anime-style graphics and variety of activities in a huge city.
What is noteworthy is the way each book is read. In addition to news articles, about 10 feature articles were published this year, and all of them received a large number of views. The feature article introduces the game content in multiple parts, with the first part introducing scooter touring and car racing (Related articles), the episode where we introduced a cafe management mini-game (Related articles) are often read. It seems that readers were interested in the concrete image of this work, which is difficult to see from only fragmentary official information.
This work is compatible with PS5/PC/mobile and has a wide range of users, and is free to play so it can reach a wide range of users, but it is currently in the beta testing stage and is difficult to play. It is possible that this “frustration” actually boosted the attention. In any case, it ranked high above other major works. A second closed beta test is also scheduled for this work, and lottery applications have begun.Related articles）。
3rd place: “Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A』
“Pokémon LEGENDS ZA” came in third place. It is the latest work in the “Pokémon” series, and is an action RPG that follows the flow of “Pokémon LEGENDS Arceus.” Set in Miare City, which appeared in “Pokémon X and Y,” players take on various events and incidents as a vigilante group.
As is typical of “Pokémon,” which is supported by a wide range of people, the topics covered were diverse. Information on both inside and outside the game, such as dependable or formidable Pokémon, distinctive NPCs, and debates over visual quality, is widely read. The simultaneous release for the Nintendo Switch 2, which has become the center of attention this year, also seems to have boosted the momentum.
One of the most frequently read articles was an article about an NPC that restrains a player for 6 minutes in real time (Related articles) and articles about the “mysterious blue light” that can be seen from certain places (Related articles). The “Pokemon” series, centered on the early works, has often been talked about with its quirky NPCs, mysterious productions, and urban legends that stem from them. It is interesting that similar topics are attracting attention in Reiwa’s latest works. Considering that the series is set in Miare City, those who enjoyed the series as children may be experiencing the surrounding topics with a sense of nostalgia.
4th place: “Genshin』
The open world action RPG “Genshin” came in 4th place. In addition to update information, multiple articles related to gacha specifications are also being read, such as a case in which a fine of approximately 3 billion yen was ordered in the United States for gacha-related notation and marketing (Related articles). After that, some changes were made to the specifications, such as displaying the estimated cost to acquire a pickup character for some users (Related articles）。
5th place: “Minecraft』
The popular sandbox RPG “Minecraft” took fifth place. Topics that were consistently read were those that dealt with extreme challenges taken by users. A typical example is an article about a user who took 14 years to reach the “phantom land” at the edge of the map (Related articles）。
In addition, updates related to ongoing updates, such as the implementation of “copper golem” that automatically organizes chests, are often read (Related articles). This result is typical of a title that has a wide user base, from the game itself to surrounding events.
6th place: “mario kart world』
6th place goes to Mario Kart World. As a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2 and the latest entry in the Mario Kart series, it attracted as much attention as the console itself.
One of the features of this game is that in addition to the familiar Mario series characters, you can also choose mob characters such as “cow” and “snowball” as racers. Coupled with the visual impact, articles about animal rights groups protesting against cow nose rings and the falling penguin scene seen in the introductory video were frequently read (Related article 1、Related article 2）。
7th place: “SILENT HILL f』
“SILENT HILL f”, the first in the series to be set in Japan, came in 7th place. After the release, the live play by Konatsu Kato, who plays the main character, became a hot topic, while our magazine’s news centering on “ratings” mainly before the release pushed up the average number of views. People read with anticipation the information that reminded us of the horror of the content, such as the topic of sales being banned in Australia due to failure to obtain ratings, and the fact that it was the first “CERO: Z” in the series to be released in Japan.Related article 1、Related article 2）。
The rating in Australia was later withdrawn and revised to MA15+ (for ages 15 and over), which has no restrictions.Australian Classification Board）。
8th place: “League of Legends』
The popular MOBA “League of Legends” came in 8th place. In addition to news about the introduction of WASD movement and skin acquisition conditions, unique experiences from players are often read, which is typical of the series, which has a huge community.
One article that received a particularly strong response was an article by Mr. No Arm Whatley, who despite losing his eyesight in an accident, devised a unique “technique” and returned to the master rank (Related articles). By the way, he recently posted on RedditcommentUnfortunately, his eyesight has not yet recovered. However, he still maintains his master rank and shows his unchanging strength (OP.GG）。
9th place: “Palworld / Palworld』
Pocket Pair’s monster collecting survival craft “Palworld” came in 9th place. Updates represented by the “Terraria” collaboration (Related articles), as well as “Par♡ World! -We can’t be friends anymore~”, a spin-off and a version for other models were announced, and other unexpected developments continued (Related articles). There is also a lot of positive news, such as the official release scheduled for 2026 in September.
Meanwhile, developments surrounding the patent lawsuit filed by Nintendo and the Pokémon Company against Pocket Pair last year continued to attract attention (Related articles). The fate of the lawsuit, along with related topics, is likely to be a focus of attention from next year onwards.
10th place: “Assassin’s Creed Shadows』
The open world action RPG “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” ranked 10th. The unique collaboration with “Attack on Titan” also attracted attention, but the main topic was the so-called “Yasuke problem.” Controversy has spread over the depiction of one of the main characters, Yasuke, as a samurai, the accuracy of historical research, and suspicions of unauthorized use, and last year Ubisoft announced thatapologyA situation has come to pass.
Even after its release in March of this year, news related to historical research, such as the implementation of an update that made the “Shrine Shelf” indestructible, was widely read (Related articles). Testimonies from employees that the development of a new series was canceled due to this problem have also been reported in overseas media, suggesting that there may have been a fallout from the “Yasuke problem” (Related articles）。
11th place: “Ghost of Yōtei”
The highly rated Japanese-style open-world action sequel “Ghost of Yōtei” ranked 11th. This work has received a lot of attention, from pre-release developer interviews to post-release update information, reflecting the high expectations and positive reviews it received. Articles about “happy cries” about not being able to progress in the game due to constant detours, and topics about strong enemies in sub-quests that caused a lot of cries in a different sense are attracting particularly high numbers of views (Related article 1、Related article 2）。
12th place: “Elden Ring Night Rain”
Elden Ring Night Rain, a survival action game based on Elden Ring, came in 12th place. Bold changes in direction, such as the introduction of three-player cooperative play and battle royale elements, attracted interest, and related articles recorded the second highest number of views after Monster Hunter Wilds. Topics typical of FromSoftware’s work, such as strategy tips and topics dealing with strong enemies needed to unlock characters, that are typical of From Software’s work as you fumble your way through a highly difficult game, attracted attention and sympathy (Related article 1、Related article 2）。
13th place: “Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA6)”
“Grand Theft Auto VI”, the latest open world crime action game that boasts worldwide popularity, has broken into 13th place even before its release. Its influence has not diminished this year, with articles reporting that the second trailer released in May was all footage of the actual PS5, and articles reporting an extraordinary revenue forecast of approximately 1.5 trillion yen (Related article 1、Related article 2）。
The most popular topic was the release date. The game was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2025, but an exact date was not announced until this year. As a result, doubts spread especially between February and March, especially among game companies that did not want to confuse release dates, and there were reports of a chaotic atmosphere, with some publishers daring to declare releases on the same day (Related articles）。
Under these circumstances, in May it was announced that the release date would be postponed to May 2026, and in November it was announced that the release date would be postponed again to November 2026, making it a year in which the entire industry was swayed by the movement of blockbusters aiming for “perfection.” GTA6’s every move will be closely watched next year as it simultaneously arouses gamers’ expectations and publishers’ awe.
14th place: “Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket”
“Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket”, a smartphone version of the Pokémon card game, ranks 14th. Update information such as new expansion packs and trades was often read, mainly at the beginning of this year, shortly after the release in October 2024.
In July, it was discovered that incorrect materials had been provided to the illustrators in charge of the immersive card illustrations for Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX, and at one point the illustrations on the cards were displayed blank, which became a hot topic. Please note that the illustrations were corrected in a later update (Related articles）。
15位：『The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered』
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a remastered version of the famous open-world RPG, ranked 15th. It was suddenly announced in April, and the fact that it went on sale immediately attracted a lot of attention. A production method that can be said to be between a remaster and a remake, with the content unchanged but the graphics and some elements modernized (Related articles), as well as heartwarming interactions with the production team of “Skyblivion”, an unofficial mod that recreates “Oblivion” within “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (Related articles）。
16位：『Stellar Blade』
SHIFT UP’s sci-fi action film “Stellar Blade” ranked 16th. Although the PS5 version will be released in 2024, when the PC version was released in June 2025, it was immediately reported that sales had exceeded 1 million copies, which sparked renewed interest (Related articles）。
Additionally, the article in which SHIFT UP CEO Kim Hyun-tae clarified that he would not restrict adult mods on the PC version was the most read article of the year for this game (Related articles). It can be said that it was read in a way that was “typical of this work,” with its sexy character design.
17th place: “Cyberpunk 2077”
The well-known open world action RPG “Cyberpunk 2077” came in 17th place. While bits and pieces of information about the sequel and update 2.3, which includes features such as self-driving, were also read, the main topic of conversation was the Nintendo Switch 2 version. Particular attention was paid to the fact that the packaged version of the game card had a “plug-and-play” design in which data was packed onto a 64GB card, rather than using a keycard system where data could be downloaded later.Related articles）。
A new anime adaptation, Cyberpunk: Edge Runners 2, was also announced in July, and the topic remains high even more than five years after its release (Related articles）。
18th place: “REPO”
The cooperative horror game “REPO” ranked 18th. The game started early access in February of this year, and in March, the maximum number of simultaneous users on Steam exceeded 270,000. It has quickly joined the ranks of popular horror works (Related articles）。
The enemy characters that have an impact suitable for distribution and the fast-paced updates have been well received, and as of December, information on the next update is being actively released (Related articles). It will be interesting to see if the success of this film, which saved the studio from bankruptcy overnight after its release, will continue.
19th place: “Elin”
Elin, the successor to the classic free game Elona, ranked 19th. The game has remained popular since early access started in November last year, and the original updates typical of Noa (Lafrontier), who created Elona, which was praised as a game where you can do anything, are becoming a hot topic.
Adjustment for “trash cans to spawn” (Related articles) and the implementation of “panties that can be played” (Related articles) and other additional features that made people curious just from the headlines, the most read article was about the addition of the “One Block” mode, which starts with “only one square on the ground” (Related articles). It looks like there will be more strange and fascinating updates in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.
20位：『Escape from Tarkov』
In 20th place is the hardcore escape shooter “Escape from Tarkov.” While a group of works called “Tarkofreak” is gaining popularity, this work, which is the progenitor, has received a lot of attention. The biggest factor will be the official release in November. After being in early access for about 9 years since the closed alpha at the end of 2016, the game has finally been released, and the addition of an ending that allows you to truly “escape” from Tarkov has become a hot topic (Related articles）。
However, after its release, there was a flood of negative reviews due to unstable servers and long matching times, and there were even times when Steam user reviews were “slightly unfavorable” (Related articles). There have been improvements since then, and as of this writing, 45% of the approximately 36,000 reviews have returned to the “pros and cons” category. However, strong rivals such as “ARC Raiders” have also appeared, and the fierce battle in multiplayer games is likely to continue.
These are the top 20 articles with the highest average number of views in 2025. The lineup includes a wide range of topics in the game industry, from hot titles released this year to firm favorites to titles with mixed reviews. Please note that there are titles such as “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” and “ARC Raiders” that did not make it into the rankings despite being highly rated and popular this year. Please note that this ranking is not an evaluation of the works themselves, but rather an index that reflects how our magazine covers topics and how they are read as news. This should be seen as a result of differences in how easily the works were read as news, rather than whether they were good or bad.
In 2026, the topic of games will continue to expand in many different directions, from the trends and management policies of blockbusters to unexpected topics generated by the community. We hope that this article will help you look back on 2025 from a different perspective: how games are read and how much attention they receive.
