Brandwave

Call of Duty vs The Legend of Zelda:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda were level in searches among video game franchises worldwide, with an estimated 1.8M versus 1.7M branded searches, at 3.4% and 3.1% of the total. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about video game franchises, The Legend of Zelda appeared in four of the five answers and Call of Duty in three. Call of Duty was mentioned before The Legend of Zelda in two out of three answers that named either.

Among video game franchises worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Call of Duty, about 9% more searches than The Legend of Zelda

Call of Duty 1.8M searchesThe Legend of Zelda 1.7M searches

Who does AI mention more?

The Legend of Zelda, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Call of Duty in 3

The Legend of Zelda in 4 of 5Call of Duty in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Call of Duty, named ahead of The Legend of Zelda in 2 of 3 answers

Call of Duty first in 2The Legend of Zelda first in 1

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Top video game franchises in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Legend of Zelda was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Call of Duty was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Call of Duty was listed before The Legend of Zelda in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Pokémon1st
  2. Call of Duty2nd
  3. The Legend of Zelda3rd
  4. Minecraft4th
  5. Mario Kart5th
  6. Grand Theft Auto6th
  7. Resident Evil7th
  8. Fortnite8th
  9. EA Sports FC–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • The Legend of Zelda4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Minecraft3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Call of Duty3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Grand Theft Auto3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mario Kart3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Resident Evil2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Pokémon2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fortnite1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • EA Sports FC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about video game franchises

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Call of Duty or The Legend of Zelda more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine video game franchises we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda among video game franchises worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Call of Duty, The Legend of Zelda. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMinecraftResident EvilPokémonFortniteCall of DutyThe Legend of ZeldaGrand Theft AutoMario KartEA Sports FC
Oct 202557.8%3.5%14.2%14.2%5.2%2%1.6%1.3%0.18%
Nov 202554.1%3.3%13.3%19.9%4.9%2.1%1.2%1.2%0.14%
Dec 202558.5%2.9%11.8%17.6%5.3%1.7%0.87%1.3%0.12%
Jan 202661%3.7%12.3%15%3.7%2%1.1%1.1%0.19%
Feb 202656.5%5.1%17%13.9%3.4%1.9%1%1%0.21%
Mar 202655.4%7.5%16.6%13.6%3.3%1.8%0.67%1%0.12%
Apr 202655.4%5%16.7%13.6%4.1%2.3%1.5%1.2%0.17%
May 202657.9%4.3%17.4%11.6%4.3%2.3%1%1%0.22%
Jun 202659.7%4.4%14.7%12%4.4%2.3%1.3%0.88%0.27%
Jul 202659.5%4.4%14.6%12%4.4%2.2%1.3%1.3%0.34%
Aug 202656%4.1%16.8%13.8%4.1%2.2%1.5%1.2%0.26%
Sep 202646%20.5%13.8%11.3%3.4%3.1%1%0.83%0.12%

How has the Call of Duty and The Legend of Zelda comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for video game franchises worldwide in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Resident Evil overtook Pokémon and 2 others to rank 2nd among video game franchises worldwide, with 20.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, The Legend of Zelda gained share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 2.2% to 3.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Call of Duty lost share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 4.1% to 3.4%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Call of Duty’s and The Legend of Zelda’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Call of Duty

1 branded search term

  • call of duty

The Legend of Zelda

3 branded search terms

  • the legend of zelda
  • thelegendofzelda
  • zelda

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among video game franchises

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