Sales Performance Overview of the Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo’s 2024 Switch sales have declined more sharply than anticipated.
- The company adjusted its sales forecast for FY 2025 from 12.5 million to 11 million units.
- Cumulatively, the Nintendo Switch has surpassed 150 million units sold since its launch.
In 2024, Nintendo Switch sales experienced a more significant downturn than the company had expected, prompting revisions to their sales projections. Despite this trend, the Switch remains a contender for the title of the best-selling console in history.
Since its debut in March 2017, the Switch has maintained robust sales, buoyed by a consistent release of highly praised games. The global gaming landscape saw increased demand for the console during the pandemic in 2020, which culminated in widespread stock shortages. However, since 2021, the sales momentum has shown a gradual decline.
Nintendo’s latest financial report for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2025 highlighted this declining trend. At the end of December 2024, lifetime sales for the Switch reached 150.86 million units. This marked a rise of 11.5 million units compared to the end of 2023, when lifetime sales stood at approximately 139.4 million units. Despite these numbers indicating solid sales performance, the decline has accelerated to the point where Nintendo has revised its FY 2025 sales forecast downwards by 12%, from 12.5 million to 11 million units.
Top 5 Best-Selling Consoles of All Time
- PlayStation 2: 158 million
- Nintendo DS: 154.02 million
- Nintendo Switch: 150.86 million
- Game Boy and Game Boy Color: 118.69 million
- PlayStation 4: 117.2 million
In addition to hardware sales, Nintendo has also modified its software sales forecast for FY 2025, reducing expectations from 160 million to 150 million Switch games, reflecting a 6.25% decrease. The upcoming fiscal year’s guidance on sales is expected to be revealed in May 2025.
Nintendo Switch Global Sales Overview by Year
| Year | Sales (millions) | Year-over-Year Change | Cumulative Sales (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 14.86 | N/A | 14.86 |
| 2018 | 17.41 | +17.16% | 32.27 |
| 2019 | 20.21 | +16.08% | 52.48 |
| 2020 | 27.39 | +35.53% | 79.87 |
| 2021 | 23.67 | -13.58% | 103.54 |
| 2022 | 19.01 | -19.69% | 122.55 |
| 2023 | 16.81 | -11.57% | 139.36 |
| 2024 | 11.50 | -31.59% | 150.86 |
During a recent earnings call following the release of the financial results, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that the company does not intend to suspend support for the Switch despite plans for a successor slated for release in 2025. Remarkably, the Switch is only approximately 8 million units away from potentially becoming the best-selling console of all time. Although sales have slowed, the anticipated launch of the Switch 2 could trigger a price reduction for the original model, possibly reigniting its sales trajectory.
Furthermore, the Nintendo Switch appears poised to surpass the DS as Nintendo’s best-selling console. Currently, the DS holds a narrow lead of 3.16 million units over the Switch. Industry analysts anticipate that the sequel, known as Switch 2, is unlikely to debut until June 2025.
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