Everyone expected Nintendo Switch Sports to sell well. And, after it snuck in at fourth in last month's European charts despite only being out for a few days, it's perhaps unsurprising that the family and online-oriented sports game is the number one selling game for the month of May across Europe.
That's mightily impressive given that Nintendo doesn't share digital sales and that this is based only on the physical. However, it's not exactly had stiff competition in what has been a quiet month. No new game releases have charted in the European top 20. Looking ahead to this month, we expect that will probably change.
The quiet month was felt across the board, with sales dropping 29% compared to this April, and 21% compared to May 2021. But Switch Sports still sold incredibly well, with half of its sales coming from France and Germany, and it also topped the charts in Spain and Italy specifically.
With the console supply issue easing — and next-gen consoles generally selling better (though the PS5 is still struggling compared to 2021) — the Switch has remained consistent, with console sale numbers this May almost identical to last May.
Here's the complete European top 20 for May 2022. As always, those asterisks-marked games don't include digital sales.
| Position | Title |
| 1 | Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo)* |
|---|---|
| 2 | FIFA 22 (EA) |
| 3 | LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Warner Bros) |
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar) |
| 5 | Elden Ring (Bandai Namco) |
| 6 | NBA 2K22 (2K Games) |
| 7 | Horizon Forbidden West (Sony) |
| 8 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)* |
| 9 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 10 | Gran Turismo 7 (Sony) |
| 11 | Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo)* |
| 12 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo)* |
| 13 | Minecraft: Switch Edition (Mojang) |
| 14 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft) |
| 15 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (EA) |
| 16 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)* |
| 17 | Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft) |
| 18 | Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)* |
| 19 | Hearts of Iron IV (Paradox) |
| 20 | The Sims 4 (EA) |
Interestingly, in the UK's overall charts for May, LEGO Star Wars topped the overall sales, with Nintendo Switch Sports placing third behind FIFA 22. We wonder whether the better summer weather will encourage more people in the UK to get up and waggle their Joy-Cons.
As we suggested above, June is likely going to be much busier. We're in trailer season, after all! But Mario Strikers: Battle League and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes both launch this month, so we expect we'll be seeing a few new names in the top 20.
As always, share your thoughts on the charts down in the usual spot!
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 22
THE SIMS 4 !!! 😃
WOOHOO...!!
Weird how half the top10 are sports and racing. People must be preparing for a summer season.
@Anti-Matter the sims 4 ain’t there 😂
I've been enjoying it in short bursts. Tennis is lots of fun, in particular.
@Outerdragon It's number 20
@Outerdragon The Sims 4 is number 20...
Horizon Forbidden West is in there because all the PS5s are now bundled with it, whether you want it or not so it's an artificial number 'sold'.
What I want to know is who the heck is STILL buying enough copies of Minecraft on the Switch to keep it in the top 20?
@Outerdragon
Look at the 20th position. 😛
THE SIMS 4
The way I see it, Switch Sports has a 141.6% chance of staying on top. The numbers dont lie. And they spell disaster for Microsoft and Sony at Sommer Game Fest.
Maybe the positive sales numbers of Switch Sports will encourage Nintendo to support it more.
I've been enjoying my weekly Switch Sports sessions on the weekend whenever a new item set gets released. Fun game!
Year-to-date Switch sales are up 20% in the tracked European regions, which is quite remarkable given how old the platform is.
FIFA!!!!!!!!
** shakes fist **
"Something something Switch Sports...something something Celebrating Mediocrity....something something Deep Discount" best selling game in Europe and once again the opinions in here made no difference and don't reflect the real world.
Fun to watch as it keeps me entertained.
@WiltonRoots,
Always the same and will never change, which as you say is great for some light entertainment.
The majority of Switch owners will buy Switch Sports, will play it and have lots of fun, oblivious to all the moaning on various internet forums, from the real fans.
And that Fifa keeps getting away with it too, why can't everybody see what the internet experts see, a travesty for sure.
@westman98,
The console is a mega hit, and could be the best selling ever, depending on when Nintendo announce a Switch 2 of course, but it will be close to the PS2 and DS.
@johnvboy I see it as a mid-tier game designed for family and multiplayer fun, it's not meant to be a serious sim absolutely laden with stats. Much the same as Mario Strikers really. Easily accessible. Reminds me of when you'd have mates round, crack a few beers and even people who don't even play games can dive in and have a laugh.
It's one of those things I said about the Switch is that it brought back mid-tier gaming, the likes of which we saw in the Dreamcast/Gamecube era all the time. Not everything has to be an epic production as they alienate the casual market, probably another reason for the console's success. Your mum or your uncle's not going to spend 500 hours in the Witcher, but they will jump in for a few rounds of bowling or a quick 5 min match in Strikers.
@WiltonRoots,
Just stop trolling, far to much logic and reason in your last post, Nintendo are just lazy hacks...
@johnvboy this is true. In the meantime I spotted another Nintendo Online article, just fetching my deckchair.
@WiltonRoots,
Well if you like a little entertainment you are in luck on here, loads of outrage to come.
@johnvboy Oh it’s great in there! Literal tears over games that aren’t part of the online package that Nintendo didn’t even make. 😂
@WiltonRoots,
I am sure some complain just for the sake of it, might have to take a look and see the outrage for myself.
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