Nintendo’s latest financial results have revealed the Nintendo Switch is now the best-selling console of all time in Japan, with a grand total of 33.34 million lifetime sales in the region. It has officially surpassed the next best-selling console, the Nintendo DS, which recorded 32.98 million units sold in Japan in its lifetime.
Perhaps most notably, the Nintendo Switch is still enjoying its time in the sun, with a number of new games including Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Princess Peach: Showtime! and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door set to arrive on the console in 2024. Realistically, these could inspire further console sales – even as rumours of a Nintendo Switch successor grow.
The Nintendo Switch continues to enjoy widespread popularity and steady sales, partially driven by newer models like the OLED console and partially by the evergreen nature of its games lineup. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which originally released for Wii U in 2014, is still one of the most popular and best-selling titles on Nintendo Switch, continuing to nab sales records and inspire console uptake.
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With the ongoing success of this game and the wider Nintendo games library, it’s likely the Nintendo Switch will continue to sell well in the years to come – even after the launch of the next Nintendo console.
To that end, it’s fair to assume the Nintendo Switch will eventually become the best-selling console of all time, worldwide. Currently, the console needs to sell around 15 million more units to achieve this goal and overtake the Nintendo DS globally.
For now, Nintendo is predicting a slowdown in console sales, with around 141 million Nintendo Switchs expected to be sold by March 2024, but with new games set to arrive across the year, these forecasts may change. It does appear the Nintendo Switch is on track for a ‘worldwide best-selling’ milestone in the distant future, so stay tuned for more.