While Switch proved to be a major hit in the heavily disrupted 2020, production and distribution challenges nevertheless meant some sales were left behind. It seems that 2021, with some improvements in supply levels, was another strong selling year for Nintendo; now there are Japanese sales figures to reinforce that data.
In data gathered by Famitsu and shared with GamesIndustry.biz, the Switch was comfortably the best-selling console in Japan in 2021 - it's the calendar not financial year, so the data is from 28th December 2020 to 19th December 2021. In that period the Switch sold around 5.3 million units at retail in Japan, this compares to 5.1 million in the previous year - the numbers are largely on par due to a difference in dates.
Below is a breakdown of the broader hardware sales, showing Nintendo's system outselling every other platform combined.
- Nintendo Switch - 5.3 million units
- PlayStation 5 - 942,798 units
- PlayStation 4 - 103,786 units
- Xbox Series X|S - 95,598
- Nintendo 3DS - 28,224
Nintendo's overall estimate for global sales over the current financial year are lower than 2020/21, but the target is still an impressive 24 million units.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 82
i wouldnt be suprised if that isnt the case in most countries. not only due popularity of the switch but fact you cant bloody get a ps5 or xbox series x
That is just incredible! But I guess many families own 2-3 switches since they are so versatile!
Nintendo really hit lucky during this pandemic and chip shortage, though I guess half of it comes from good planning and whatnot. Even the Switch OLED, as much as it was scalped at launch, is still reasonably available compared to the other consoles.
Japan based developers: Let's continue to ignore the Switch.
Has it outsold the 3DS ((in Japan)) yet?
The Switch steamroll continues on!
Note that this is missing sales data from Christmas and New Year's week (i.e. the 2 biggest holiday weeks), so actual numbers for 2021 annual sales are higher than what's listed.
Nintendo has really proven themselves over the years with the Switch with their strategy of not getting into the competition and just do their own thing. I just wonder what they will do next with their next-gen console to keep the ball rolling aside from the obvious releasing of 1st-party games.
@GayusGayer almost I think. 3ds and 2ds have sold around 26ish million? And the Switch was at 23 million this december.
@Yomogi I would say stay in this side of the market, but improve the internals and design over time, just like the iPhones from Apple.
@Friendly right. Should be no problem this year then.
Goes to show Nintendo made the right decision by not making a Switch Pro this year as the chip shortage continues to hamper conflict of other hardware. Remember it's not just the game industry that got affected by this, car manufacturers, utilities manufacturers, hospitals, phone manufacturers, and computer tech giants are also affected. We also had the lower end companies like GPD, AYA Neo, Playmaji, Analogue, PlayDate, Kinhank, Beelink, Dell, Razer, ASUS, Apple, HP, Intellivision Amico, Pyra, Valve, Odin, PowKiddy, and other no name companies also lining up to grab chips for their own computing products as well.
@Friendly if we’re talking Japan, it was 24.66 million lifetime. Worldwide, the Switch has sold over 20 million more than the 3DS.
@GayusGayer In Japan? Not yet. The 3DS stands at over 25 million units sold, but the Switch has another couple million to go to overtake the 3DS.
Worldwide, however, the Switch has blown the 3DS out of the water. The 3DS sold over 75 million units, and the Switch is nearing 100 million units sold (that's Wii territory).
Whether the Switch can overtake the Wii's sales, or better yet, the DS's sales, remains to be seen. Still, those numbers are quite impressive.
But for as long as the chip shortage and supply chain issues are going on, even Nintendo will be forced to scale back production, putting a significant dent in their sales.
@eltomo PS5/PS4 is more popular then Switch everywhere, Switch is only popular in japan.
@progx Yeah, the Switch has already outsold the 3DS worldwide, which is a huge feat . For Japan: With the sales for the 2DS added to those numbers it’s a little higher, so 26 million?
Switch is only popular in japan, worldwide Switch is destroyed by Xbox Series X/S e PS5/PS4.
@AstroTheGamosian i doubt Switch is gonna sell DS/PS2 level sales, Switch is in the final year of it lifecycle, only a miracle for Switch to surpass PS2/DS sales.
Does this come as a surprise to anyone. Only those trying to NintenDoomed Switch is living in delusion. Those saying otherwise got eggs in their face. Trying to match numbers don't equate folks those using such clearly show they don't even know what they are talking about. Scale back production-that's amazing is that the only scenario one can come up with? They still have v2 Switches and most likely stock of what they need to keep production going so to think one knows their sales number and figures says alot why they don't work for Nintendo but a pundent for NintenDoomed fandom only. But at least they identify themselves when they spout nonsense for all to see.
I wonder if Sony or MS went with a Switch style handheld how it would be.
@Giancarlothomaz numbers worldwide tell me otherwise. Switch outsold the PS5 everywhere for last year. And PS4 before that. Sure, stock issues, but worldwide Switch massively outsold the PS5 in each region last year. Yes, even Europe. And for the US: Only one monthly NPD showed the PS5 above the Switch last year which was due to consumers waiting on the OLED (september).
https://www.vgchartz.com/tools/hw_date.php?reg=Europe&ending=Yearly
When even comparing the first 11 months of the PS5 with the first 11 months of the Switch, PS5 is behind. https://www.vgchartz.com/article/451279/ps5-vs-switch-sales-comparison-september-2021/
Also, Nintendo has stated last year that the Switch was in the middle of its lifespan.
@Giancarlothomaz a True NintenDoomed pundent in the making. Switch sales are killing xbox/ps5 how one can live a delusion is why they can only pout on here but do nothing else. Must be in the Switch Doomed 2017 camp that said it would only survive 1 year in it's release.
@Giancarlothomaz PS5/PS4 is more popular then Switch everywhere, Switch is only popular in japan.
@Giancarlothomaz Switch is only popular in japan, worldwide Switch is destroyed by Xbox Series X/S e PS5/PS4.
Wow, Folks we got ourselves a winner... NOT. Clearly someone has no concept that neither of those other consoles are even coming close to beating sales of the Switch. Xbox is a disaster for M$ and PS5 well they failed miserably capitalize on investments.
@Friendly Lol, you beat me to it. I was about to post the same thing. I'll at least post hardware estimates from the week of Dec. 4-11
Global hardware estimates (Followed by lifetime sales):
Switch - 1,245,034 (99,356,640)
PlayStation 5 - 428,366 (16,103,410)
Xbox Series X|S - 408,264 (10,630,502)
PlayStation 4 - 24,404 (116,752,444)
Xbox One - 11,610 (50,516,008)
3DS - 303 (75,942,851)
Americas (US, Canada, Latin America) hardware estimates:
Switch - 566,883
Xbox Series X|S - 260,231
PlayStation 5 - 175,852
PlayStation 4 - 11,513
Xbox One - 9,468
Europe hardware estimates:
Switch - 356,863
PlayStation 5 - 208,514
Xbox Series X|S - 120,421
PlayStation 4 - 11,472
Xbox One - 1,931
Asia (Japan, mainland Asia, Middle East) hardware estimates:
Switch - 277,881
PlayStation 5 - 23,583
Xbox Series X|S - 9,308
PlayStation 4 - 941
3DS - 309 (Japan only)
Xbox One - 128
Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) hardware estimates:
Switch - 43,407
PlayStation 5 - 20,417
Xbox Series X|S - 18,304
PlayStation 4 - 478
Xbox One - 83
https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/245598/switch-nears-100m-ps5-tops-16m-global-hardware-dec-4-to-11/1/
@Giancarlothomaz
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211213005142/en/Nintendo-Switch-Is-the-Best-selling-Video-Game-Console-in-November-With-More-Than-1-Million-Units-Sold
"Nintendo Switch Has Been the Top-Selling Console in the U.S. for 35 Out of 36 Consecutive Months"
https://fortune.com/2021/05/06/nintendo-switch-buy-sales-sony-playstation-4-wii/
"Nintendo Switch is selling faster than Wii or Sony PlayStation 4 ever sold"
It's staggering just how wrong you are, lol.
Anyway, the Switch's sales momentum hasn't really flagged at all, so you're going to be deeply disappointed if you expect sales to completely fall off after this year.
@AstraeaV don’t think their markets want to play on a handheld. When looking at Vita sales
@burninmylight nice summary tnx
@Giancarlothomaz You are completely detached from reality if you actually believe ps5/xbox series consoles are more popular than the switch worldwide
Quite impressive sales in Japan, seems as if almost all gamers own a Switch there. That’s huge for Nintendo to be such a prominent and dominant force in their home country. Nintendo definitely has a pulse on that market.
I don’t believe this is the Switch’s final year quite far from it, I’d almost guess the chip shortage will extend this generations cycle and likely push a New Switch from releasing until 2024-2025.
Seeing the PS5 selling less than well warms my heart. Hopefully it helps to reinforce the fact that Playstation now treats its Japanese fans like second-class citizens. Maybe encourage more Japanese developers to jump ship from Sony to Nintendo like Nihon Falcom is in the process of doing.
@Yomogi I hope that with their next console, it keeps the OLED screen and it can do 1080p at 30 fps for Tripple A games.
The current Switch, I heard, has the processing and graphical power somewhere between an Xbox 360/PS3 and the Xbox One/PS4. If the next Switch has the processing and graphical power slightly more powerful than the Xbox One/PS4 with an OLED screen at 1080p and 30 fps, we will be in gaming heaven. There would be a deluge of Tripple A games coming on the Switch.
I hope it happens.
Full confession, I was a NX naysayer. Hearing it didn’t have the power of the XB1 and that was already being bashed for being inferior with 900p to the PS4 with 1080p and developers had to beg for more RAM or their games wouldn’t even work, yeah I was worried it would be the WiiU all over again. I’ve never been so glad to be so wrong.
@Giancarlothomaz Which planet do you live on lol. You should try Earth. Sure, it has it's problems, but it's pretty cool.
I love my Switch, but only a fool would not realize that this is due to the fact that you literally can not walk in to any store and buy a PS5 or XBOX X anywhere in the world for the most part.
I would own a PS5, XBOX X, and Switch IF I could get them. I have the money. I have the desire. I have no access to buy them. The only thing I can actually buy IS the Switch.
@Giancarlothomaz
Everything you wrote is factually incorrect.
@Peder7berg correct, we have 3 and I will be getting an oled since another one of my kids is getting into gaming and I barely get to use mine right now.
@PharoneTheGnome
but only a fool would not realize that this is due to the fact that you literally can not walk in to any store and buy a PS5 or XBOX X anywhere in the world for the most part
Actually, only a fool would not realize Switch is grossly outselling PS4 launch aligned, and PS5 sales would take a miracle to do that much better than PS4, sellouts or not. It isn't like it's the only console with shortages- Switch was originally pegged to sell near 30 million consoles this year before the shortage revised their projections not once but twice. And PS5 was never going to sell 30m a year. Even in its best year, PS4 never came close to numbers like that. Half the reason ppl want one so bad is because of FOMO. If they were readily available they wouldn't be doing much better due to losing sales from scalpers and those buying into the FOMO.
Fact of the matter is, Switch is just selling too much for any other other console to touch it, shortages or no shortages.
Awesome! Such is the Power of Nintendo!
Considering how popular the switch is I'm confident it's going to in the very least be the 3rd best selling console of all time.
The Switch already quietly outsold the Wii and soon the original playstation will come next without any effort.
The only real milestones left are the PS4 and GBA which are at 116 million and 118 million.
Considering the Switches momentum it can outsell all these consoles by the end of next year.
Not to mention as others have pointed out the Switch according to Nintendo is only in the middle of its lifespan and they plan to support it longer than the average console lifespan.
I'm not sure if it will outsell the PS2 and DS thats a very big milestone but I think this is the best chance Nintendo has to do so.
Not only sold more combined but 4.5 times more. That is impressive. I would say the Switch is the console I would keep of the current three if I was told I can only keep one, although the Series X is a close second due to Game Pass.
@Royalblues
I don't see whats to be so scared about Nintendo's future regarding the switch. Obviously they're probably just going to capitalize on the Switch formula because its so successful. It would be strange for Nintendo not to do so.
This is just a given
This is incredibly unrealistic in my opinion. The base Switch is just somewhat comparable to a Xbox one and you think it would jump to 4k power after just one generation?
I think at most we're going to get a portable PS4 power wise next iteration.
I wouldn't go that far since saying Nintendo would bomb their next console if they didn't go the switch route but I see your point.
But I honestly think theres nothing to worry about. The switch formula has been one of the best decisions nintendo has ever made along with being one of the best selling consoles of all time and will continue to outsell other ones.
Can't speak for the xbox bit though I'm not informed about that nor do I live in Japan.
Got an OLED Switch last week, the difference in screen quality is staggering. This should have been on the normal switch as standard tbh
@Anguspuss I've got 6 PS5s available within a 2 km radius of my house. They're readily available on the second hand market (and not much more that RRP)
@Friendly VGcharts is not a relieable site for consoles sales and Nintendo is stating Switch in his half lifecycle since 2019.
@AstroTheGamosian i wouldn't rely on those "official" 3DS sales figures as Nintendo stopped releasing figures for the 3DS some 6 months before they discontinued it.
Also when Nintendo discontinued, the sales went through the roof, being on Amazon best sellers list for nearly a month.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual sales for the 3DS are really closer to 80 million.
Switch is still higher but just saying, don't rely on those figures too much.
@Matty1988 do you live in switzerland
People are going to be sad when Nintendo unveils the Switch 2 this summer and have to save up for the new system.
@Giancarlothomaz so where are you getting your figures from to back up your initial statement ?
@FourBs here show that PS5 was more popular then Switch.
https://gamingintel.com/ps5-breaks-nintendo-switch-best-selling-console-streak/
@ModdedInkling,
The pandemic has helped, but the Switch has been in great demand since launch, and seems to have avoided the Wii's issue of sales falling off a cliff.
@Giancarlothomaz you have just made yourself look terribly stupid!
You took data from one month (September 21) and equated that to = PS5/XB are more popular than switch worldwide.
What were you thinking when you thought this was a good idea?
@Giancarlothomaz Switch's worldwide sales are some 15 million short of PS4... in almost half the shelf life. That's a rather exotic concept of being destroyed.
@Giancarlothomaz
According to you and only you
Also wrong Furukawa mentioned this in 2020
https://www.gonintendo.com/stories/368880-nintendo-thinks-switch-is-in-the-middle-of-its-life-cycle-and-wan
Also that article you mentioned about the PS5; it was just the best selling console for that one month alone, it was just mentioned that it finally broke the Switch's streak of 33 consecutive months but even then its continuing to be the best selling console consistently, did you even read the article yourself?
@Giancarlothomaz,
The Ps5 broke the Switch's record of best selling console for one month in the U.S, and the main reason for this was it was the month before the Switch OLED launched, so people were waiting for it, normal service resumed the very next month.
Not sure if you are actually looking at worldwide sales figures, or just making things up at this point.
@Giancarlothomaz that’s one month my guy.
I'm pretty sure that @Giancarlothomaz is just trolling everyone at this point. You can't say what he's saying with a straight face and really believe it. Best to ignore this one haha.
@Anguspuss Nah, Scotland. Not even sure what point I was trying to make lol. I guess that if people really wanted them, then scalpers wouldn't have the availability they do
@Matty1988 no probs we moved here from scotland. If it wasnt for bloody covid I could get one in uk and get one family bring it with them. but bloody covid rules changing flights getting cancelled its a nightmare. neither swiss or germans can make proper fish and chips.
@Giancarlothomaz that’s exactly the month I mentioned for NPD charts. September. Due to people waiting on the OLED Switch.
@Xenoguner you’re probably right.
@johnvboy the global numbers are the same. Nintendo had the highest yearly sales in each region.
@GayusGayer yes. 3ds 76 million. Switch is well over 90 million now, maybe 100 million with Christmas
@Xenoguner We just love our Trolls, want can't have them running away. All the fun will be gone if they left.
But there's a hardware shortage...
On another note, I would be very surprised if the Switch doesn't breeze past the Wii in sales soon, if it hasn't done so already, taking into account Christmas buyers.
Nintendo must feel like they have been blessed with divine luck this generation
@Xenoguner
Exactly, the user @Giancarlothomaz is totally a troll or a PSfa... Or Xboxfa..., Almost everybody show him with real data the correct info about the Switch and the other consoles and he still keep in negation, this is clear, is troll or a Fa...
Removed - flaming/arguing
@Meteoroid It has nothing to do with luck.
So true if it was we have nothing from Nintendo. They already formulated this from 3DS and Wii experience and decide this is what they wanted and did it. The 3DS was going to be replaced sooner or later and most gamers could already see this coming it just timing and release that was left.
Wow you can still buy 3ds? I thought it was long gone
Well the PlayStation Vita is dead so that's hardly surprising it outsold it and there is no other handheld on the market to compete with Switch there on their own.
Nintendo is King
@GayusGayer has for like a while, 3ds sold something like 75 mil units, switch on it way or surpassed 100 mil at this point.
@Arawn93 Well, the translation for the word Nintendo is "Leave luck to Heaven." So I guess it makes sense what you say.
Also, nice profile pic. Gotta love Acting Grand Master Jean. Looking forward to the day Genshin Impact comes to the Switch.
@Meteoroid nonsense. That abnormal spike for Animal Crossing during Covid was the very definition of perfect storm luck which also booted HW
Nintendo Switch sales are 101.88 million, outselling Wii according to vgchartz
https://www.vgchartz.com/article/452166/switch-sales-top-101m-ps5-tops-17m-worldwide-hardware-estimates-for-dec-19-25/
@GayusGayer yup, outsold the 3DS end of 2020. It is right behind the Wii and if their target is correct it will outsell not only the Wii but the PS1 and maybe even the GB/GBC. It will probably also outpace the PS4 even though that is still being manufactored just because of the PS5. If all that would happen it would be the 3rd best selling console.
@Fronic thanks for all the replies everybody but to clarify I was asking about Japanese sales figures specifically.
@scotty123 It Outsold BOTH the wii and ps1 once we get confirmation by Nintendo. It was changed on Wikipedia, but some hater changed it back because they couldn't handle the truth lol!
@wizzgamer don't forget the steam deck that will supposedly "kill the Nintendo Switch" LOL
I feel like some people don't really understand this is only because the Switch is the only console with high demand that's actually easy to get
@NintendoEternity
True lol
Nintendo Switch has now sold 102.81million consoles as of January 15th according to VGChartz. Wiki would update it when nintendo release there official results next month
https://www.vgchartz.com/article/452336/xbox-series-xs-sales-top-12-million-worldwide-hardware-estimates-for-jan-9-15/
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