Thailand is a country with 32 million video gamers. The most popular genre is role playing games (RPGs). Despite the popularity of RPGs there are plenty of other popular genres. Some are familiar to the general public, but others occupy unique niches. Estimates say that 33% of all gamers play RPG, MORPG, or MMORPG games. Another 12% favor battle royale games and 18% enjoy real-time strategy games. The top five games in Thailand are:
- Dota 2
- Age of Empires
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Garena Free Fire
Dota 2
Thailand is a country where Dota 2 is on the level of a national sport. The popular game by Valve has been a success even before it existed as a standalone game. It originated as a map developed for Warcraft 3. The game quickly gathered millions of fans in Thailand. The creation of several high-profile competitive outfits based around Dota2 was the logical next step.
Many players started competing on Garena. This peer-to-peer platform allowed LAN environments to host Dota games. In 2011 online play moved to Valve’s Steam where Dota 2 is available as a free-to-play game.
Dota 2 is immensely popular for several reasons. It has community backing. This makes it interesting enough for groups of friends to play together. The game is also challenging enough to require skills to be great but not to have fun. The game is also quite engaging for spectators as well as players. One way to engage as a spectator is to consider eSports betting. Which is gaining a lot of traction in Thailand and beyond. These bets need not be real money. Websites like GosuGamers and JoinDOTA allow betting with digital currencies. These currencies secure bragging rights and rankings in leaderboards.
Age of Empires
Age of Empires is an immensely popular franchise in Thailand. In fact, the country is one of its bastions of the game. Age of Empires is an indelible part of the competitive ecosystem in Thailand. Age of Empires is a real-time strategy game considered the best in that genre. The recent release of Age of Empires IV is a worthy continuation of the genre. The Thai gaming community is still mostly interested in Age of Empires IV. However, the latest installment of the franchise promises to be every bit as exciting. It should eventually catch on with the Thai gamers as well.
League of Legends
Owing to its simple learning curve, League of Legends (LoL) is often touted as the more welcoming cousin of Dota 2. The game is quite popular. It has a robust following and has established itself as one of the go-to gaming options in Thailand. Players are always welcome to explore League of Legends both casually and competitively.
The final game of the 2021 World tournament hit a record-breaking four million live viewers. This viewership places LoL tournaments at the center of the eSports calendar. League of Legends has many competitions in the region. The grassroots community alone is enough to sustain this game as one of the most popular options for gaming in Thailand.
PlayerUnknown Battleground (PUBG) Mobile
PUBG Mobile is an absolute blast! Some 95% of all gamers in Thailand play on mobile. That means that about 32 million gamers prefer mobile gaming experiences. PUBG Mobile might be the apex of current mobile gaming experiences. PUBG Mobile is a battle royale game where survival is front and center.
PUBG Mobile is popular because it allows both casual and professional competition. Each battle in PUBG mobile is a new experience. This makes the game infinitely replayable. PUBG is a title where personal skill will take you to a top spot. However, even if you fail trying, it’s still a lot of fun. That is precisely what makes it one of the most-played games in Thailand.
Garena Free Fire
PUBG mobile is not the only battle royale game popular in Thailand. The genre is ubiquitous in the industry. It’s a safe bet to say that Garena Free Fire is one of the most popular games in Thailand. Garena Free Fire was released in 2017. In 2019 the game received the award for the “Best Popular Vote Game” by the Google Play Store.
The game is often touted as bringing together the best of all battle royal games. While, this is true in some respects, it is not the only reason for its popularity. Thailand has a soft spot for Free Fire because of its hardware requirements. As a game, it is designed to run on even lower tier smartphones. While some mobile games will only work with the latest processors and ram, Free Fire goes the opposite direction. This is a large factor in its popularity in places like Thailand and Brazil.
[…] is a country where gaming plays an important part in everyday life. The country has 32 million active gamers, 95% of whom play mobile games, and another 85% play PC games. The competitive element of gaming is […]