• Arena of Valor has gotten over a million downloads since being introduced November 2016

• Many popular video games played in Taiwan are multiplayer games

• Games are a tool to connect with others

Since the introduction of the smartphone, video game playing has been integrated into our daily lives. Whether you are on the bus, the metro, or even in class, you are bound to see someone whipping out their phones to immerse themselves into the world of video gaming. Even though a huge portion of the world plays video games, the games played vary due to the difference of culture and the latest fads of the area. Here are some of the most popular video games in Taiwan.

1. Arena of Valor

If you see someone staring at their phone while sliding and tapping the screen intensely, there is probably a 50 percent chance that that someone is playing Arena of Valor. Arena of Valor is a game that is pretty much League of Legends but modified for the small screen. Perfect for a group of friends playing together, this Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) has taken the world by storm and along with its Chinese counterpart, Kings of Glory, are one of the most popular and highest grossing games in the world. Since its introduction to Taiwan in November 2016 it has garnered over a million downloads, and continues to be one of the most popular video games in Taiwan.

2. Heaven M

Heaven M is an RPG game based on the original Heaven that was released on PC ten years ago. With its retro visuals and nostalgic music, this now cell phone video game has brought many gamers back to their childhoods. In this game, you travel across the magical land of Yadin, slaying monsters and dragons, using one of the four characters that can be chosen: the royal, the fairy, the knight, and the wizard. With over a million downloads and a record two-hundred thousand players online at the same time, it is just as popular as its predecessor was.

3. PUBGesque games

Skydiving into a battle Royale of a hundred people, picking up supplies while killing everyone on the way to become the sole survivor and the “winner winner chicken dinner” seems like an intense and exciting adventure, and that is exactly what PUBG offers. However before PUBG was made available to the people in Asia, companies from China released knock-off versions of PUBG that were so popular that when the original came out it wasn’t able to compete with them. Offering a one player mode all the way up to a five player mode, they also became perfect for groups of friends to play and win together.

4. Tower of Saviours

If you combine Candy Crush, Magic: The Gathering, and killing monsters, then Tower of Saviours is what you will get. Released in 2013, it was an instant success and became one of the most popular video games in Taiwan. However, it has gradually lost its popularity over time. It has experienced a recent surge of players returning to the game, after a number of new features and levels were introduced. It has even made its way into many of the most popular video games lists in Taiwan that were released in 2017/2018.

5. Pokemon GO

Ever see swarms of phone users on a random street or alleyway? 99.99 percent of the time it is the global phenomenon of Pokemon GO taking hold of these people. Even though the fad is pretty much over, a huge population of middle-aged and elderly people still stroll around the city in search of rare Pokemon or a dojo to duke it out with other Pokemon enthusiasts. All in all, it seems like the power of Pokemon catching has yet to weaken on the island of Taiwan.

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The vast majority of popular video games played in Taiwan are multiplayer games that can be played with friends, and it says a lot about Taiwanese youth. It might seem like playing video games is a personal activity, however in the case of Taiwanese kids, it is just a tool to connect with others, while also having a little bit of fun on the way.