Research Reveals Country with the Best Gamers in the World

- New research of the top-ranking achievements in over 16,000 video games has revealed which country’s residents are best at gaming

- Finland ranked 1st, followed by Canada and Sweden, while the U.S. came in 6th and England fell outside of the top ten in 12th

- The research also ranked countries based on their skills at particular gaming genres and titles, revealing that Scotland are best at driving games and New Zealand residents the most skilled at Call of Duty

Data-focused mobile gaming publisher Kwalee has researched top-ranking achievements from more than 16,000 games to reveal the countries that can now lay claim to being the very best at playing video games.

Using data available on speedrun.com totalling over 42,000 achievements that range from the quickest completion times to high scores, Kwalee ranked countries by how many achievements residents of each had scored, divided by population size to give fair scoring. Finland, a country renowned for its gaming culture, came out on top and was followed by Canada and Sweden. Meanwhile, the United States ranked sixth and England 12th, beaten by the likes of Germany (11th) and Scotland (8th).

The 10 Most Skilled Gaming Countries:


1. Finland
2. Canada
3. Sweden
4. New Zealand
5. Australia
6. United States of America
7. Netherlands
8. Scotland
9. Ireland
10. France


In addition to finding the overall winners, Kwalee has also revealed which countries are best at particular gaming genres, with Scotland reigning supreme over driving titles, while Japan punched its way to the top in fighting games.

Some of the main surprises however came from which countries gained the ultimate bragging rights over some of the world’s most beloved games, such as Croatia claiming the title for being the most skilled at FIFA, or New Zealand residents named greatest at Call of Duty.


Where is Best at the World’s Favourite Games?

Grand Theft Auto: Latvia
Super Mario: Ireland
Call of Duty: New Zealand
FIFA: Croatia
Halo: Finland
Tekken: England
Assassins Creed: Russia
Resident Evil: France
Animal Crossing: Japan
Tetris: Norway

CEO of Kwalee, David Darling commented: “We create mobile games that are downloaded all around the world, so we’re always looking for new insights into this world of players. It’s been really interesting to see where is ‘most skilled’ at particular types of games and how the popularity of certain titles differs wherever you go.

With more people at home playing games now than they maybe ever have been, it felt like perfect timing to do this research, and maybe make things even more competitive at homes around the world”.

Full findings can be found at kwalee.com/blog/hyper-casual-reading/best-gaming-countries/, including an interactive map that details where is best at particular video games.


ENDS


Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact: press@kwalee.com

Data gained in April 2020 via speedrun.com - including 42,032 achievements across 16,709 games.

Genre specific data breakdown:

Which country is best at driving/racing video games?

Games researched include everything from the Gran Turismo and Forza titles, to Carmageddon and Mario Kart.

1. Scotland
2. Estonia
3. Hungary
4. England
5. Finland


Which country is best at sports video games?

Games researched include everything from FIFA and NBA2K, to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX and Wii Sports Resort.

1. Norway
2. Wales
3. Finland
4. England
5. Canada

Which country is best at fighting video games?

Games researched included everything from Tekken and Street Fighter, to Dead or Alive, Super Smash Bros and Mortal Kombat.

1. Japan
2. Ireland
3. Canada
4. Sweden
5. Wales


About Kwalee

Kwalee are a leading publisher and developer of hyper-casual mobile games, with a collection of games that have gained over 300 million downloads, thanks to hit titles that include Draw It, Shootout 3D, Off the Rails 3D, Rocket Sky! and Go Fish! Founded by gaming industry icon David Darling, who is joined by a team of mobile gaming experts, Kwalee are currently on the lookout for great games from developers with an understanding of the fast-paced and rewarding world of hyper-casual gaming.