Nintendo Switch 2 sells 5 million units in first month becoming the fastest-selling console of all time
The Nintendo Switch 2 appears to have sold 5 million units, according to a now-removed post from Nintendo. This would easily set a record for a console launch.
Today, Nintendo may have accidentally revealed a major sales milestone for the Nintendo Switch 2. In a post spotted by Nintendo Soup on Nintendo’s investor relations website, which has since been removed, the company claimed that the new console had sold 5 million units in its first 26 days on the market. Considering the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly sold 3.5 million units globally in its first week, this seems pretty reasonable. If you’re wondering, this makes the Nintendo Switch 2 the fastest-selling console of all time.
Nintendo Switch 2 sells 5 million units in its first 26 days on the market
For context, here’s a look at some other console sales numbers. The PlayStation 5 sold 3.4 million units in its first month, only reaching 5 million in 2.5 months. The original Nintendo Switch sold 2.74 million in its first month, reaching 5 million after 4 months. The Nintendo Switch 2 is already outdoing its predecessor, as well as the other primary gaming consoles on the market right now. It’s already shattering records, and if this keeps up, it’s only going to keep doing that.
Also spotted by Nintendo Soup, we have a glimpse at which regions bought the most Nintendo Switch 2s. The Americas top the chart, making up for 1.8 million of the units sold so far, just barely outdoing Japan with 1.47 million units sold. Europe comes in third with 1.18 million units sold, with the rest of the globe accounting for the remainder.
Video games are increasingly becoming an expensive hobby. The Nintendo Switch 2 is 50% more expensive than its predecessor, upping the $300 price to $450. This is still cheaper than other consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X, but consider that Mario Kart World was the first game to break the $80 barrier, and the “drop the price” rallying cry starts to make sense. Additionally, following the initial pre-order delay in the US and Canada, the prices of all Nintendo Switch 2 accessories increased by at least $5 or $10. But so far, fans seem to be showing up for Nintendo’s new console.
A big reason why the original Nintendo Switch was so successful, to the point that it’s approaching becoming the best-selling video game console of all time, was the pandemic. When the world went into lockdown to avoid COVID-19, many people turned to gaming. At the time, the Nintendo Switch had already been on the market for a few years, and it was the cheaper, handheld option compared to PlayStation and Xbox. Plus, it had Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Fingers crossed, but the Nintendo Switch 2 may not have the same opportunity for a late-game bump in sales that its predecessor had. However, the Switch clearly left a lasting impression on a large number of people, enough to convince them to purchase the new console within its first month.
This is likely also due to Nintendo’s impressive ability to stockpile consoles. When I attended the midnight release, there was no shortage of consoles available for anyone who showed up. All these leftovers disappeared within the first week, but were then restocked a few weeks later.
Surely, sales will slow down over the summer, but soon enough, it will be the holiday season. By then, Nintendo also plans to release Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which will likely be one of the best-selling games of the year, as all Pokémon games tend to be. Throw in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at some point, Donkey Kong: Bananza this month, Kirby Air Riders, and more content updates for older games as well. Its looking good for Nintendo.
