Connections, the New York Times’ latest hit word game, was 2024’s top trending gaming Google search term, followed by its sister word game Strands. It marks yet another year where the media titan turned game publisher managed to edge out many of the year’s biggest (and more traditional) PC and console video games.
“It is the first time [Connections] has topped the list,” Google Data Editor Simon Rogers told Inverse. “Last year it was ranked at number 3.”
Both Connections and Strands topping out the year-end list reflect a larger trend of which kind of games were a big deal for Google users. The experimental word-based crafting game Infinite Craft finished at number three, followed by PocketPair’s controversial surprise hit Palworld at four, and the free social game Sprunki at number five. Except for Palworld, all of these games are easily accessible on a smart device or browser and are free to play in some capacity. Of those games, the top three are all centered around gamifying the players’ grasp on words and grammar.
Rounding out the top 10, the trend continues. Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science’s massively successful adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, came in at number six, followed by the free-to-play browser Tetris-like Block Blast. Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma II entered number eight, followed by another free-to-play title, the gacha mobile game Wuthering Waves.
Finally, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 entered at number 10. That’s not too surprising as this year was a high point for the series. It’s also worth noting that the game is also available on Xbox Game Pass, making the door to entry easier and cheaper than in previous years.
This year’s trends show just how big the free-to-play market has become. It makes sense, as these games are available on devices most people are carrying around daily. The technical capabilities of mobile phones have also helped close the gap between experiences available in your pocket and console games, even if its business practices are predicated on getting players to spend continuously. It’s working too, as NewZoo forecasts mobile gaming making up 49 percent of all global gaming revenue in 2024.
Looking closer at some of the non-free-to-play console and PC games on the list, there are a few fun tidbits. Black Myth: Wukong was elevated thanks to the unprecedented interest coming out of Asia.
“We saw the most interest in Macao and Hong Kong, followed by Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam,” Rogers said.
Malaysia, Brunei, and Cambodia, all countries also in Asia, followed the top five. Rounding out the list of countries looking up Black Myth was both Australia and New Zealand at nine and ten respectively.
Palworld, lambasted for borrowing heavily from Pokémon, managed to outperform the Pokémon Company’s seminal franchise in Google searches for four months following its January release.
“Palworld really spiked at the beginning of the year and then flattened,” Rogers said.
Millions rely on walkthroughs to help them complete their favorite games. Silent Hill 2, Bluepoint’s critically acclaimed remake had the most players looking for help during their terrifying return.
A slew of role-playing games followed Silent Hill 2. Metaphor: ReFantazio, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Persona 3: Reload rounded out the top five.
Fallout 4 slotted in at number eight, likely after the beloved show on Amazon Prime brought new attention to the last mainline game in the series. Golden Sun, the classic JRPG that re-debuted on Nintendo Switch Online earlier this year, came in at nine on the top trends for walkthroughs, proving to be one of the year’s best additions to the service.
Alan Wake 2 was the only non-2024 game to make the list, a testament to the staying power of Remedy’s survival horror sequel.
This year is a big departure from last year’s results. In 2023, the top trending game was the Harry Potter-based RPG Hogwarts Legacy. Two years ago was the last time a New York Times game topped the list as it was the height of the Wordle craze.
