The Games Most Popular With Men in 2021
Gaming used to be an activity mostly associated with men, but in recent years it’s become a hobby that is enjoyed by both sexes equally. There are some titles that have universal appeal, but there are also some that are more popular with men than women and vice versa.
So far this year, these are the games that have proven to be hits among us gents.
Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar Games is best known for its Grand Theft Auto series, though it does have a catalogue of other great titles. GTA was ahead of its time when the first game was released in 1997. The open-world nature and giant maps were a challenge for the hardware in the original PlayStation, forcing developers to use a top-down viewpoint that allowed 2D graphics to be used.
Fast forward to today and screenshots of GTAV can sometimes be confused with photographs of the real world. With the game being re-released on the PlayStation 5 later this year, there’ll be an even bigger step up in graphics.
Grand Theft Auto V was released way back in 2013 but continues to be a smash hit thanks to GTA Online and the continual updates brought out by Rockstar.
Roulette
Roulette is the oldest game on this list, having been invented several centuries ago. The name “Roulette” means “little wheel” in French, an apt description since the game is predicated on a spinning wheel with 37 or 38 differently-numbered pockets. The dealer spins a ball in the opposite direction, and players are required to predict which pocket they believe it will land in.
Various versions of roulette are available from most online casinos, including traditional variants like French, European, and American, but you’ll also find unique and innovative live dealer games like instant roulette.
FIFA
Every autumn, when the new version of FIFA gets released, the internet is filled with memes about wives and girlfriends becoming “FIFA widows” as their fellas get stuck into the latest version of EA’s football simulation game.
Each release brings with it refresh team lineups, improved graphics, and a new feature here and there. FIFA 21 was no different, adding new functionality in career mode and haptic feedback for those playing on the new consoles.
Call of Duty
Like FIFA, the Call of Duty franchise enjoys an annual release schedule that’s prone to separate guys from their partners for a few weeks. The latest release, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, was released in mid-November 2020 with a new story based on real events, new multiplayer game modes, and improved map dynamics.
On the whole, though, this latest CoD game isn’t hugely different from previous games. For the developers, it’s a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, which is why it remains popular among men.
The portable version, Call of Duty: Mobile, has also helped the game to reach even more men as it’s now possible to go sniping and no scoping while on the bus, the park, the beach, or the train.
Fortnite
Fortnite is another shooting game but stands out from the traditional first-person shooter model that Call of Duty embodies. Firstly, you play from a third-person perspective, allowing you to admire your customised character skin.
Secondly, it is entirely free to play, with Epic Games choosing to fully embrace the use of microtransactions to monetise it. And thirdly, Fortnite is a battle royale title, a multiplayer game that sees 100 players all parachute into a map with the game ending when only 1 is left standing.
Fortnite is accessible on just about every platform, from smartphones to the latest generation of consoles, making it popular among people of all kinds, especially men.
F1 2020
Many of us fancy ourselves as a bit of a Lewis Hamilton at some point in our lives. Our inner race driver usually comes out when we take a visit to our local go-kart track as we try to beat our friends.
That’s what makes F1 2020 so popular, with petrol heads getting to try out their skills behind a virtual wheel in the world’s fastest race cars.
The game includes a career mode, just like FIFA, as well as allowing you to step into the shoes of your favourite driver on the 2020 grid.
The multiplayer features also give you the chance to test your skills against the best players in the world, with an official F1 esports competition giving you the chance to get signed by a real-life team.