Nintendo raises Switch 2 sales forecast after outselling the Switch, PS4, and PS5 at launch

[midian182]

In brief: The Switch 2 was always expected to be a hit, but even Nintendo appears surprised by just how successful it's been. The company has raised its sales forecast for the handheld by more than 25% and revealed that it has already sold twice as many units as the original Switch during the same launch period.

Since launching in June, 10.36 million Switch 2 consoles have been sold – 3.5 million of those in the first four days. That's more than twice the 4.7 million units the original Switch managed during its first two quarters on sale. It's also higher than the PlayStation 4's 7.5 million and the PlayStation 5's Covid-impacted 7.8 million sales.

Nintendo now expects to shift 19 million Switch 2 units before the end of March 2026, 4 million more than its previous estimate of 15 million.

As for the software, 20.62 million Switch 2 games have been sold since launch. Mario Kart World was the best-selling title with 9.57 million sales, though that included bundled sales, while Donkey Kong Bananza sold 3.49 million. Combined game sales for the Switch and Switch 2, meanwhile, reached 82.18 million.

Nintendo has also raised its Switch 2 game sales forecast from 45 million to 48 million.

Nintendo revealed that the original Switch will soon become its best-selling console of all time. After moving 1.89 million units over the last six months, its lifetime sales now stand at 154 million – just 10,000 shy of the Nintendo DS. However, it's hard to imagine it selling another 6 million units and overtaking the 160.63 million-selling PlayStation 2 to become the best-selling console ever.

The best-selling consoles of all time

It's been a very successful six months for Nintendo. Net sales were up a massive 110% year-on-year from $3.4 billion to $7.2 billion. Operating profit jumped 19.5% to $950 million, while net profit were up 60.5% to $1.5 billion.

One segment that did see a decline was Nintendo's IP-related sales, which fell 12.4% to $216 million, mostly due to lower movie-related revenue. Expect the figure to jump sharply after April 2026, when the Super Mario Galaxy movie arrives.

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Nintendo raises Switch 2 sales forecast after outselling the Switch, PS4, and PS5 at launch

 

[Megalomaniac]

I have Switch 2. People complained about lack of games, but I bought it specifically for the classic games. Specifically, the compilations.

Gradius, Contra, TMNT, Mega Man Legacy/X/ZX... when you buy compilations, you get plenty of quality games at dirt cheap prices.

The only thing I'm annoyed with is the storage medium. Micro SD XC Express is expensive. They could have let us use 2242 M.2 SSD. 2TB would be more than enough for the life of my Switch2. $200 max.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I have Switch 2. People complained about lack of games, but I bought it specifically for the classic games. Specifically, the compilations.

Gradius, Contra, TMNT, Mega Man Legacy/X/ZX... when you buy compilations, you get plenty of quality games at dirt cheap prices.

The only thing I'm annoyed with is the storage medium. Micro SD XC Express is expensive. They could have let us use 2242 M.2 SSD. 2TB would be more than enough for the life of my Switch2. $200 max.

So you spent $500 on a new console to buy cheap compilations of games that are, and have been, widely available on other platforms for years, and somehow this means the switch 2 has lots of games?

 

[Megalomaniac]

So you spent $500 on a new console to buy cheap compilations of games that are, and have been, widely available on other platforms for years, and somehow this means the switch 2 has lots of games?

The cheap compilations have allowed me to save far more than $500.
When I was younger, these games were expensive and in many cases inaccessible. Some of the cartridges or CDs for them were difficult to get or extremely overpriced.

I also like that the form factor - which spanned several consoles - has been consolidated into the Switch with a quick connection via HDMI and a simple plug in of a Xbox controller. Far more convenient than the consoles of my day.

The Switch 2 draws on the Switch 1 and virtual console libraries and ultimately allows newcomers access to classics they otherwise would never have experienced. The new games are mostly boring and do not offer the same level of psychological achievement as the old games.

I may also add: I didn't spend $500. I spent $1500. Bought 3 of them on launch day.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

The cheap compilations have allowed me to save far more than $500.
When I was younger, these games were expensive and in many cases inaccessible. Some of the cartridges or CDs for them were difficult to get or extremely overpriced.

I also like that the form factor - which spanned several consoles - has been consolidated into the Switch with a quick connection via HDMI and a simple plug in of a Xbox controller. Far more convenient than the consoles of my day.

The Switch 2 draws on the Switch 1 and virtual console libraries and ultimately allows newcomers access to classics they otherwise would never have experienced. The new games are mostly boring and do not offer the same level of psychological achievement as the old games.

I may also add: I didn't spend $500. I spent $1500. Bought 3 of them on launch day.

You can buy those same compilations on other devices you already own. You're not "saving" money by spending $500. The red herring about the price of original hardware is irrelevant.

All you've done is reinforce the point - the switch 2 has no games, so you have to depend on compilations of games from other consoles (that are available elsewhere) and the games you could already play on your switch 1....

 

[Megalomaniac]

You can buy those same compilations on other devices you already own. You're not "saving" money by spending $500. The red herring about the price of original hardware is irrelevant.

All you've done is reinforce the point - the switch 2 has no games, so you have to depend on compilations of games from other consoles (that are available elsewhere) and the games you could already play on your switch 1....

I love it though.