Animal CrossingandAmong Uswere among the top games searched for on Google in 2020. The internet giant released the terms people searched for over the last year this week, spanning several different categories including movies, video games, politics, and of course, the coronavirus pandemic.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonslaunched in March of this year and quickly became one of the top-selling games of the spring. In contrast,Among Usreleased back in 2018 but rose to prominence this fall when it began appearing on numerous Twitch streams.
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Video games that topped the list of search terms in 2020 were a varied group.Fall Guys: Ultimate KnockoutandThe Last Of Us 2were among the most searched terms of the year. Those titles, as well as games likeValorant,were listed as the top video game search terms of 2020, but none of them cracked Google’s overall top 10.
There was one aspect of video game culture that did make the Top 10, as thePlayStation 5 beat out toilet paperto nab the tenth most googled term. Sony’s next-generation console was accompanied by quite a few phrases that lay out the year that was, quite clearly. The PS5 took its place on the list among the tragic deaths ofGleestar Naya Rivera andBlack Panther’s Chadwick Boseman. Rivera reportedly drowned during a trip to the beach with her young son, while Boseman passed away after a years-long battle with cancer. The incredibly popular actor kept his illness a secret from the general public, despite a large swath of fans expressing concern for an apparent abrupt weight loss.
One reasonAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsstayed near the topin video searches all year is because of its seasonal updates. Players were able to celebrate Easter with a month-long egg hunt, and this fall the game included Halloween festivities. As the Christmas season rolled around, users were given the opportunity to deck the halls, hills, and trees with holiday decor.
While Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S didn’t join the PlayStation 5 on the top Googled terms of 2020, there was one other tech term in the Top 10. Due to the pandemic forcing most of the country to work from home, video conferencing became one of the most popular topics in searches. TheZoom platform just missed the Top 5of trending searches, eventually placing sixth, while the number one Googled term in the United States for 2020 was represented twice in the Top 10. “Election results” took the top spot while “who is winning the election,” was the seventh most popular phrase.
