Switch 2 Sells More in 1st Year Than Blockbuster Predecessor

The Switch gaming console, released in 2017, is Nintendo's blockbuster hit and might soon become the most-sold gaming console of all time. The Switch 2, released a little over a year ago, has out of the gates already surpassed the success the Switch 1 had at the same moment in its life cycle.

Nintendo released the results for its June quarter today and said it had sold more than 23 million Switch 2 consoles since the launch in early June 2025. For comparison, the original Switch had as of the March quarter of 2018 only sold close to 18 million units (after a launch in early March of 2017). However, the eventual success of the new Switch will not only be measured in initial quarters, but in the long run – of which the original Switch had an exceptional one.

It sold more than 9 million units its first Christmas quarter (this figure was 7 million for the Switch 2) and saw its sales boosted during the Covid-19 pandemic. It sold another phenomenal 8 million units in the final quarter of 2022 as a console whose original model was at the time more than five years old. Only time will tell if the Switch 2 will be able to replicate or surpass this record over time.

Nintendo's figures also showed sales down almost 10 percent year-over-year as hardware demand was not as strong as previously. Profit was meanwhile up, but due to a statistical effect following the refund of $300 million of tariffs from the U.S. government Nintendo had paid earlier. The weak yen is helping the company sell overseas, with the biggest market remaining the Americas at 42-percent revenue share.