National Video Games Day is approaching on September 12th. To commemorate this special day, experts at BestOnlineCasinos.ca can now reveal the highest-rated franchises, along with their best and worst releases!
This research is part of a larger study into the journey of the world’s top ten video game franchises.
The Best and Worst Releases by the World’s Favourite Gaming Franchises
| # | Franchise | Overall average | Highest rated game | Lowest rated game |
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto | 8.71 | Grand Theft Auto V (2013) 9.5/10 | Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)7.5/10 |
| 2 | Pokémon | 8.19 | Pokémon Crystal Version (2000) 8.8/10Pokémon HeartGold Version (2009) 8.8/10 | Pokémon Sword and Shield (2020)7.3/10 |
| 3 | Mario Kart | 8.19 | Mario Kart 64 (1996)Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)8.7/10 | Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) 7.3/10Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020) 7.3/10 |
| 4 | Super Mario | 8.12 | Super Mario World (1990)9.3/10 | Super Mario Run (2016)6.2/10 |
| 5 | Assassin’s Creed | 8.12 | Assassin’s Creed II (2009)9.1/10 | Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014) 7.1/10 |
| 6 | Final Fantasy | 7.88 | Final Fantasy VII (1997)9.5/10 | Final Fantasy XIV (2010) 5.9/10 |
| 7 | Call of Duty | 7.66 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) 9/10 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018) 5.5/10 |
| 8 | LEGO | 7.41 | Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (2007) 8.6/10 | The Lego Movie 2 Videogame (2019) 5.7/10 |
| 9 | The Sims | 7.41 | The Sims 2 (2004) 8.3/10 | The Sims 4 (2014) 6.9/10 |
| 10 | FIFA | 6.98 | FIFA 13 (2012) 8.1/10 | FIFA 21 (2020) 4.5/10 |
Grand Theft Auto is the highest rated franchise
Grand Theft Auto is the highest rated best-selling franchise with an average IMDb rating of 8.71 out of 10. The franchise’s worst game came just two years after its first release with Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) being rated 7.3 out of 10. However, they peaked in 2013, with the release of Grand Theft Auto V (the best-selling game ever to be released on PlayStation 4) receiving an almost perfect 9.5 out of 10.
The Pokémon franchise is the second highest rated, with an average IMDb score of 8.19 out of 10. Peaking in 2000 and 2009 with the releases of Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon HeartGold scoring 8.8/10, the franchise has since gone downhill with the latest release – Pokémon Sword and Shield (2020) – receiving the lowest score (7.3/10).
In third is the Mario Kart franchise, also with an 8.19/10 average on IMDb. Mario Kart 64 (1996) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) are the best games in the collection with a score of 8.8 out of 10, whereas Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020) are the worst (7.3/10).
FIFA is the lowest rated global franchise
The FIFA franchise comes in tenth-place with an overall average of 6.98 out of 10. FIFA 13 (2012) was the highest rated game with 8.1/10, and the most recent release, FIFA 21 (2020), was the lowest rated with a dismal 4.5/10. Despite being the fifth best-selling franchise, their ratings are not up to scratch with other competitors.
Just in front in ninth is The Sims with an overall average of 7.41/10, the lowest rated being Sims 4 (2014) with 6.9/10, and the highest rated being Sims 2 (2004) with 8.3/10.
