Latest ‘Plants Vs. Zombies’ Title Leads YouTube’s List Of Top Trending Games

For January 2016, as it does for every month, YouTube Gaming has chronicled the titles that showed the biggest upward trend. The latest “Top Trending Games” list features the latest entry in the Plants Vs. Zombies franchise–Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2–in its number one spot.

What makes the Top Trending Games list interesting is that it eschews the most popular games on YouTube and instead focuses on the titles that have made the most forward progress in the past month. There’s no Minecraft or Call of Duty here; instead, the 10 games on YouTube are a mix of independent, Steam-powered hits, new, AAA blockbusters, and casual, multiplayer titles. Plants Vs. Zombies lives within the latter two categories, and ahead of Garden Warfare 2

‘s February 23rd release date, publisher EA launched an open beta. Several YouTube gamers, including TheRadBrad, Zack Scott, and MasterOv, used the beta to get an advance look at the upcoming tower-defense title.

Not all of the games on YouTube’s list, however, trending upward ahead of their release dates. Some, like Dying Light and Goat Simulator, had big Januaries thanks to new pieces of downloadable content. Others, like Rocket League and Smite, rode big moments within their respective competitive scenes to success.

Here, via YouTube Gaming, is the full Top Trending Games graphic for January 2016. Note the short blurbs, which explain how each game on the list managed to crack the top ten.

More data-driven insights from YouTube, including past Top Trending Games lists, can be found on the YouTube Trends blog.