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Nintendo Switch 2 sales have dropped 37%, but it’s still comfortably beating the original console
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Nintendo’s latest results confirm that Switch 2 sales have slowed sharply in its second year, falling 37.4% year on year in the first half of its financial year. The slowdown follows a strong launch with plentiful stock, but the console has still sold 26.35 million units and remains more than six million ahead of the original Switch and PlayStation 5 at comparable points after launch.
Nintendo sold 2.68 million Switch 2 consoles in the three months to 30 September, and says its forecasts are unchanged. Switch 2 software sales rose 18.8% to 24.49 million units, led by Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream at 8.81 million. The original Switch reached 157.20 million lifetime sales, nearing the PlayStation 2’s reported 160 million record.
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In short
- Switch 2 sales fell 37.4% year on year in the first half.
- Its lifetime total has reached 26.35 million consoles.
- Nintendo’s sales forecasts remain unchanged.
How this story developed
- 28 minutes ago Nintendo says Switch 2 sales slowed in its second year, falling 37.4% year on year in the first half of its financial year.
- 30 minutes ago Nintendo’s latest results confirm that Switch 2 sales have slowed sharply in its second year, falling 37.4% year on year in the first half of its financial year.
- PC Gamer Switch 2 sales dropped 37% this summer, mostly before the price hike hit; Nintendo now expects sales to slump 16.9% in console's second year
- VGC Nintendo Switch 2 sales have dropped 37%, but it’s still comfortably beating the original console
- IGN Nintendo Rules Out Further Switch 2 Price Rises as Console Sales and Profit Fall
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The year-on-year fall may reflect an exceptionally strong launch period and the challenge of sustaining early demand, rather than a loss of momentum: Switch 2 has already sold 26.35 million units and remains well ahead of the original Switch and PS5 at the same stage. Rising software sales and Nintendo’s unchanged forecast also support the case that the console is performing strongly overall.
The case against
A 37.4% year-on-year decline is substantial and suggests that the launch surge has not been matched by continued hardware demand. Strong cumulative sales and software results are encouraging, but they do not remove the question of whether Nintendo can maintain growth as it moves beyond the early-adopter market.
Explained simply
Nintendo is a Japanese games company known for consoles and series such as Mario and Zelda. The Switch, released in 2017, can be used as a home console connected to a television or as a handheld device; the Switch 2 is its successor.
Console sales often rise sharply around launch, then change as early demand is met and the range of games grows. Nintendo sells both hardware and games, so sales of new titles can help show how actively people are using a console.
The original Switch has become one of the best-selling consoles, while Sony’s PlayStation 5 is a major competitor. Comparing consoles at similar stages after launch gives a sense of how quickly each has found buyers, though sales figures alone do not show profitability or long-term demand.
Coverage · 3 sources
- VGCNintendo Switch 2 sales have dropped 37%, but it’s still comfortably beating the original console
- PC GamerSwitch 2 sales dropped 37% this summer, mostly before the price hike hit; Nintendo now expects sales to slump 16.9% in console's second year
- IGNNintendo Rules Out Further Switch 2 Price Rises as Console Sales and Profit Fall