MOSCOW, 8 October 2025. The VCIOM Analytical Center presents the findings of a study describing the opinions of the Russian gamers about Asian video games.   

More than just a game

Over the last 30 years (from 1990s) the video games have come a long way from teen entertainment to a full-scale leisure activity in Russia.  

In Russia, almost eight in ten Internet users have played video games: 41% play today; 35% played before. Regular gamers, those who play video games on a daily basis, amount to 43% (among those who are interested in video games). Personal computers and mobile phones are major devices they use.   

Asian Turn in Global Game Development

In recent years the Game Dev market has been rising at a fast rate in many Asian countries. According to the findings, Russian gamers are well aware of the Asian game dev products, however they have a vague view of the countries of origin. This might be due to the specifics of the game industry: products are created by multinational teams, with outsourcing being widely used.  At the same time, the core, i.e. the developers, are based in one country.

The findings show that most of the Russian gamers are familiar with the Chinese game industry (48% of them have heard about at least one game out of 21*; 44% of those who are familiar have played them). Top 5 most well-known games are Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Warframe, Black Myth: Wukong and Path of Exile. The countries (except for China) the Chinese games are associated with are the USA and South Korea.

The South Korean Game dev has experienced a considerable growth over the last three decades turning into a powerful and profitable industry; however the Russian gamers are less familiar with the South Korean game dev than their Chinese counterparts; only one-third of respondents (33%) know at least one out of 17 games produced by South Korea*; and only 23% of them played those games. The rating of the most recognizable and popular South Korean video games is headed by the Lineage 2 game that falls far behind the competitors; it is followed by Lost Ark. Stellar Blade, despite a large campaign, did not even make it into the top five. The countries (except for South Korea) the South Korean games are associated with are China and the USA.

The video games produced by Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt are still far less known compared to China and South Korea. Most of the gamers who were surveyed do not know any game these countries have produced (61%; another 16% are undecided), let alone experience with those games.

Seeking leadership

The US established dominance in the ratings of the countries producing and developing Asian video games is largely due to the US role in the early stages of the industry. Same can be applied to China that invests not only into the game development but also into the popularization of its national culture through game industry. Of greatest interest is Russia’s entering the Top 5 countries that are associated with video games produced in China and South Korea. Following a calm period in the recent 10-15 years after successful games (such as “Corsairs”), Russian gamers still believe in the Russian Game Dev encouraged by good news about new developments in the game development over the last couple of years, gaming advertising campaign, et cet. In other words, Russia has a huge potential to promote its national brand in the world gaming industry. However, striving for absolute sovereignty in Game Dev is by default a lose-lose idea. Like any creative industry, game development industry needs a constant exchange of ideas, technologies and experience. Success in the global gaming industry can be achieved by uniting efforts, investment and talents that could create unique and competitive projects that would preserve national distinctiveness.

*Answers that gained less than 2% are grouped into “Other”.

A Russian nationwide ‘VCIOM-Online’ online survey was conducted September 13-16, 2025. A total of 1,600 respondents aged 18 and older took part in the survey. Survey method: online survey using a formalized questionnaire, probability-based ‘VCIOM-Online’ online panel. The panel participants are recruited through daily nationwide CATI-based ‘Sputnik’ survey, using RDD sample from a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia.

The data were weighted for socio-demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

* PUBG is developed by a South Korean company, and PUBG Mobile, by a Chinese company. The current study does not take into consideration the product developed in China.

* PUBG is developed by a South Korean company, and PUBG Mobile, by a Chinese company. The current study does not take into consideration the product developed in China.

* PUBG is developed by a South Korean company, and PUBG Mobile, by a Chinese company. The current study does not take into consideration the product developed in China.

* Developed by a group of Czech studios and based on military events in Vietnam.

* Developed by a group of Czech studios and based on the military events in Vietnam.