When looking at the bi-weekly Xbox LIVE Activity charts from your friend and mine, Major Nelson, it’s important to keep in mind that these lists represent the most popular games played while connected to Xbox LIVE, and not necessarily played over Xbox LIVE, like a multiplayer game.

So with this information it shouldn’t be a surprise to find The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim appearing at number three in the list of most popular Xbox LIVE games this past week, behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops, and ahead of FIFA 12 and Battlefield 3.

Or maybe it should surprise you.

The weekly lists of top-selling Xbox LIVE Arcade and Xbox LIVE Indie games also lie in wait below, while a compilation of the most popular Games For Windows LIVE games is also included in the mix.

(Note: These full global lists of most played Xbox Live games, top-selling XBLA and Xbox Indie Games and most played Games For Windows LIVE are all based on unique users and full versions purchased.)

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Skyrim
• FIFA 12
• Battlefield 3
• Halo: Reach
• Gears of War 3
• Modern Warfare 2
• Madden NFL 12
• NBA 2K12
• GTA IV
• Saints Row: The Third
• Forza Motorsport 3
• NHL12
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Halo 3
• Batman: Arkham City
• Call of Duty 4
• Red Dead Redemption
• NBA 2K11

Top Arcade Titles

• Dungeon Defenders
• Fruit Ninja Kinect
• NFL Blitz
• Pinball FX2
• DOOM
• Castle Crashers
• Trials HD
• AMY
• Peggle
• NBA JAM: On Fire Edition
• REAL STEEL
• Orcs Must Die!
• Full House Poker
• Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
• Haunt
• Sonic CD
• UNO
• A Kingdom for Keflings
• Toy Soldiers: Cold War
• RISK: FACTIONS

Top Indie Games

• CastleMiner Z
• Total Miner: Forge
• CastleMiner
• FortressCraft Chapter 1
• Avatar Paintball
• The Impossible Game
• The $1 Zombie Game
• Avatar Legends
• Don’t Die Dateless, Dummy!
• Lootfest: Live Design
• FLIRT
• I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
• Avatar Laser Wars
• Toy Stunt Bike
• Techno Kitten Adventure!
• Firing Range
• DLC Quest
• Perfect Shooting Training Camp
• Trailer Park King Episode 2
• Avatar Rumble

Games for Windows Top LIVE Titles

• GTA IV
• Batman Arkham City
• Age of Empires Online
• Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
• DiRT 3
• F1 2011
• Resident Evil 5
• Fallout 3
• Fable III
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Bioshock 2
• Bulletstorm
• Colin McRae : Dirt 2
• Street Fighter IV
• F1 2010
• Section 8: Prejudice
• Virtua Tennis 4
• Red Faction Guerrilla
• Operation Flashpoint Red River
• Dead Rising 2

Source: Major Nelson’s Blog