Nintendo has confirmed that over its debut weekend, the Switch 2 moved 3.5 million units globally. That not only makes it the fastest-selling Nintendo hardware of all time, but the fastest-selling video game console ever. A press release from the company doesn’t really detail much of anything, but this achievement is still pretty monumental when considering the increased price of the device, the economic recession going on in many parts of the world, and the high cost of games with Mario Kart World going for $80. People clearly want their Mario fix.
Now, it’s hard to make comparisons to other devices as most companies do not disclose exact numbers for such short periods. In contrast to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, the Nintendo Switch 2 seems to be blasting off from the start. The PS5 had moved 4.5 million units in its first fiscal quarter on sale, which was measured between November 12th, 2020, and December 31st, 2020. By July of 2021, it was at 10 million units. Microsoft outright stopped reporting on numbers, but the total sales as of 2025 between the Series S and X sit at around 32.4 million. Some outlets speculate the console may even be less than that. The Switch 2 is clearly not at that level yet, but if the current rate continues, it will be hitting 10 million before the holiday season.
All of this is to say that Nintendo is certainly onto something special here. Many people have jumped on the Switch 2 simply because the original Switch is now in its eighth year, and simply is due for a refresh. Others bought it because any new console launch is exciting, even when it doesn’t have much to offer the customer. Still, Nintendo has a pretty good lineup planned for the remainder of 2025 and there are bound to be more surprises in store throughout the year.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
