We often look at European and/or American sales as a benchmark for whether a title has been successful or not. We may even lump it all together as "Western sales", but those figures may not reflect reality. And that's because there is the market in Japan, as well as in other territories that are now opening up more to the industry, such as China.
But in the case of Japan, Nintendo has provided the top ten most downloaded games on the eShop since the start of the year (thanks, Game Watch), and it's bound to surprise you. Here's the list:
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Tamagotchi Plaza
Minecraft
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
As you can see, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time was the most downloaded title from 1 January to 30 June 2025. The feat of taking the top spot in the Japanese digital shop's downloads is even greater when we remember that the game was released on 21 May globally.
This also gives us an idea of Nintendo's digital product figures, as just a few days ago Level-5 celebrated 1.2 million copies of the game sold, and announced a physical edition for the autumn. Another newcomer, Tamagotchi Plaza, is also among the top sellers.
What do you think of the list of the top ten best-selling digital games in the Nintendo eShop in Japan?