The Switch 2 is still going strong over in Japan, and thanks to Famitsu, we have the lowdown on the week's physical and console sales.
Unsurprisingly, for the second week in a row, Mario Kart World takes pole position by shifting another 134,900 copies in the week of 9th to 16th June. That's over 120k more than the next closest competitor, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, which sold another 11,217 copies this week. Absolutely nothing to sneeze at. We wouldn't be surprised if it hit a million next week.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma's Switch 1 version continues to do well, selling over 50k units since launch (almost another 10k this week), with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Minecraft rounding out the top five.
Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 Editions have also made the top ten again, with BOTW edging out its sequel by a single sale. And aside from Elden Ring Nightreign, it's an entire Nintendo sweep.
No newcomers this week, so let's look at the full breakdown for the top ten:
The big headline with the hardware here is that the Switch 2 has sold over a million units already. With a further 153,205 consoles selling this week, that's a total of 1.1 million Switch 2s sold in Japan alone. That's extremely impressive.
In terms of the Switch 1, it's still selling pretty well, shifting over 13k units this week alone. However, the PS5 (combined OG model, Pro, and Digital units) has surpassed it, selling over 15k consoles between its three SKUs.
Any surprises in this week's charts for you? Let us know in the usual spot.
[source famitsu.com]
Comments 66
Nintendo eating well huh?
You see what happens when you don’t make a sequel that’s more of the same but ‘better’. 2 Mario karts in most charts is a credit to their game design.
That one guy who saw Tears of the Kingdom and said "not for me."
I should hope they have passed 1m, it was just shy of 950,000 last week...
mad when you see it next to PS5. Still at 6.6m (inc digital) and switch is already 1/6 of that in a week.
Just look at Switch 1, basically at 35.6m. wow.
Why does the games industry only focus on Xbox and PS5? Switch is so far ahead its not even close.
Interesting to see PS5 sales with more than 9K unit sold and still stay on number 2.
It's crazy that both Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are separated by only 1 unit.
Very tight race between those two Zelda ports there... ToTK winning overall however.
Love to see Switch 2 selling more than 1 million in Japan along with Mario Kart World selling over 900k!
Also happy to see Fantasy Life i in 2nd, Guardians of Azuma in 3rd, 8 Deluxe in 4th, Jamboree in 6th, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on Switch 2 in 8th and 9th respectively and New Horizons in 10th!
@tsim21
These numbers are only in Japan where Nintendo dominates. The rest of the world is a different picture.
Its kind of funny seeing all these more newer releases in the list then you have New Horizons still clinging on at 10.
It's kinda funny that Switch 1 sales are still pretty much matching up with PS5 sales
@Anti-Matter That's called a 2 horse race. Now granted, that second horse must have been shot in the paddocks.
Sadly in UK, sales are slowing and units are being returned.
Nintendo clearly dominates Japan and I don't think these numbers nclude Nintendo's official store. Nice to see PS5 doing well, looks like it will outsell the PS4 soon.
MKW at 15% ish MK8 lifetime sales within a week.
Whilst I think MK8 is the better game at present, MKW has the potential to equal or surpass MK8 if the added content comes.
Just on a character front, I think MKW could be this generations "Everyone is here".
@BaldB3lper78 do you have a credible source and some numbers?
Switch, switch oled and switch lite almost equal to ps5 digital, ps5, ps5 pro in total sales this week.
Thats crazy when switch has been so much longer on the market compared to ps5/ps5 pro.
@jamesthemagi idk how much is actually going on with the other consoles….not much on PlayStation or Xbox. Expedition 33?
It’s over. PS5 soon gonna consistently pass the S1 one day at this rate.
@jamesthemagi 150m switches around the world would kinda tell a different story, but I know Japan is slightly different yes.
@Duncanballs tbf MK8 had both an enhanced rerelease via MK8D for the Switch release + the giant booster pass later on adding a lot more content. Wii U launch MK8 is a very different game than S1 MK8D today. I doubt World isn’t gonna get something down the line.
Over 1M in just two weeks is insane.
@tsim21
Nintendo is historically very successful in Japan, the rest of the world is usually a more difficult market.
But even that aside, if you look at the (in excess of) 150 million units sold for the Switch, yes it absolutely dominates in units sold, but there’s one very big problem with it, it’s very, very weak hardware wise compared to the other platforms.
Most AAA developers are making big budget games that push the hardware in one way or another, they’re targeting much powerful systems than the switch. So in that respect, the massive market share of the Switch is entirely irrelevant, it’s simply not a target platform because it could never hope to run the software.
Switch 2 is considerably more powerful than it’s predecessor, but rather obviously still far enough behind the PS5/XsX/PC markets for some developers to find the challenge of porting much more demanding games over to the weaker platform not financially justifiable.
The bright spot in that is that most third party developers are making their games compatible with Steam Deck, which is going to be a much smaller market than Switch 2 pretty soon, but they’re not really competing with each other.
Despite the very different architectures, if a game is capable of running on Steam Deck, it should be relatively straightforward to port it over to Switch 2.
We’ll get a better idea of how third parties will perform when they start releasing games that aren’t already many years old. I’m definitely considering trading the shiny graphics of my PS5 Pro for the portability of Switch 2, so long as the games run well enough. Time will tell.
@Arawn93 Exactly. People are comparing MKW as it is today. Not what it could be in a few years.
I'm seeing a foundation for a lot of things that could be added.
@tsim21 because industry is biased toward high game specs over hardware innovation or just fun games period.
You should have looked at how said industry “experts” treated the S1 before release. Acted how it was DoA. The S2 also got similar treatment with people downplaying how it’s only a PS4.5 in an era where people want 4k 120 FPS, etc or game is “trash”. How RoG Alley makes S2 obsolete and other nonsense.
@BaldB3lper78 I can’t take someone seriously when they just throw claims out like this with zero sources.
1) Sales actually slowed in Japan too. Because they’ve managed to basically blow through 90% of the launch stock incredibly fast. It’ll be the same in most countries most likely. That in itself doesn’t really mean anything for week 2. Maybe by week 22…
2) “Consoles are being returned” is the most nebulous statement ever. Are you trying to suggest that there’s droves of people in the UK using a premium gadget, then immediately going “I actually hate this!” and rushing back to the shops? How would that even be known? It sounds like standard internet gossip being stated as fact.
@BaldB3lper78 slowing? In that case so is Japan, nothing is gonna match launch week, is it now? Some of you doom mongers need to open the curtains, let some sunshine in son.
@AmplifyMJ What was a game system launch that didn’t “slow” on week 2? Where week 2 sold more then launch week? lol. Also “returns”? Really? What system never had returns? Doom Posters need better material.
@Jprhino84 genuine story. I've been replacing some light switches in the last few weeks. I had 2 more than I needed and returned them.
I don't recall posting on the Internet about it. I might have fuelled their research to lead them to such a bold statement in their comment. 😃
Another commentor (OP) who needs to stay safe out there on the Internet.
every new console sells out, especially in a world of influencers getting their hands on it for work purposes. check back in a year or two and see where it's at for a better evauluation. typical sensationalist headlines for the hype machine. nothing more.
@Stwert yes i agree modern games struggle to run on it. 100%. But if i was running a game development business shouldn't I be targeting switch over anything else? The market is 3x or more as big if I can crack it. (Honestly, its no wonder cross platform games like fortnite and minecraft are so so successful and why something like Marathon can't get off the ground.)
@Arawn93 replying to #21 Edwin’s popping bottles as we speak… 🍾
It should also be said that their Japanese version is region locked and way cheaper than ours.
@tsim21
It’s not as simple as it seems from the outside, speaking as someone who works in the industry, - well, occasionally now I’m supposedly retired but it’s difficult not to work - creating a successful game is an extraordinarily difficult task regardless of the platform you’re targeting.
With the Switch, yes those games are hugely popular, but then they already were before they launched on Switch, which makes the job a rather simple one.
But outside of established franchises, you need to know your target audience as much as creating the experience you want to create. Without crafting your game strategy around your audience, you’re never going to get much in the way of sales regardless.
The Switch has never been lacking an audience, but due to the very limited hardware, the audience that’s there may not necessarily tie in with the experience you want to create.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been some incredible ports in the Switch lifetime, but you could clearly see that some severe corners had to be cut.
That, unfortunately, is a sacrifice some developers just aren’t willing to make. You need only look at some of the games the Switch missed out on from most of the big publishers.
I love my Switch and it has served me well over the past eight years, hell I don’t know how I’d have coped without it as a mental escape for a little while now and then during the 8 months we lived in hospital, when my son was born so prematurely they weren’t even allowed to try and save him to begin with. It’s a harrowing, but ultimately uplifting story.
And I’ve no doubt I’m going to love my Switch 2 (I already do), the difference this time around is that at least the Switch 2 has got the grunt to cope with much more demanding third party software, believe me we’re a long way from seeing the best it can achieve yet, and some of the launch window software is already quite impressive.
I honestly think we’re going to see much more third party support this time around. I believe that the Switch 2 will have a generous market share and with its capabilities, that just opens the doors up to many more possibilities. A combination that’s very different from its predecessor and a combination that’s difficult for a publisher to ignore.
@Duncanballs They making Early Access games?
Such a good price in Japan for the Switch 2. Only 10,000 yen more than the PSOne sold for 30 years ago. I would expect if they got the same price we did that the response would be much more muted.
@Duncanballs Only GAME and from a manager but they say the have had over 750 Switch 2 returned since launch. It’s doesn’t sound a lot at first, but that was not much less than their entire stock at launch day.
PS5 sold over 14k units…but not 15k. If I did the math right, it was 14,129.
That’s only 810 more than Switch 1.
Well with Switch 2 on the market now and Nintendo not discontinuing the original Switch for another 5 years, I guess Japan is officially Nintendo's turf now going forward.
@SirLink It's not actually region lock though, it just doesn't had option for other languages outside of Japanese. You could still play other regions games on the cheaper Japanese version of the Switch 2, the thing is the moment you turn it on, everything changes to Japanese. On games that doesn't had options for Japanese languages, those will just load up language that is closer to Japanese such as Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese or Korean.
@Stwert They're not usually "pushing" hardware. They're lazy and they need overpowered hardware to work around their in-efficient code. Same on PC. There has been lots of analysis done the past 10-15 years on how games are not looking better, and are often times looking worse, despite huge leaps in computation power.
@BaldB3lper78 I’m sorry but there’s no way that a game store chain had nearly its entire launch stock returned and that wouldn’t make the news. I’m not saying you weren’t told that, but that sounds like someone either greatly exaggerating or outright lying.
Edit: Also, didn’t GAME have an absolutely disastrous launch with the Switch 2 leading to many people just going elsewhere?
@Jprhino84 Nobody shops at GAME. Horrendous overpriced shop. Had one near me, went in twice in about 10 years. Never bought anything from there. It shut down months ago.
@Arawn93 Well said, I definitely prefer my games to be fun, well-designed, and optimized. Hence my choice in hardware and gaming with Nintendo vs other consoles.
I do LOVE my Gaming PC but it serves a very different purpose than my Switch 2, so comparing the two hardware-wise is not a fair thing to do when there's so much more going on than just hardware alone.
@sanderev that'a crazy but it actually outsold them in its first week!
@WiltonRoots It was once semi decent (back when there was lots of competing chains) but you’re absolutely right that GAME is the last place I’d go to buy a computer game now.
@sanderev their saving grace is Minecraft’s success (obviously they bought the company etc so it’s like buying a win 😃)…
20% of PS5 sales in a week, lol
@Stwert
This is a very well reasoned take. I believe as long as Xbox Series S has a mandated parity for releases with Series X, Switch 2 is a close enough in specs to receive a port. I mean, we had SW Jedi Survivor released for Xbox One last September, and SW Outlaws coming to Switch 2 this September, so who can predict anything with certainty.
@sanderev
Japan is an Xbox
@SirLink In Japan, the standard Switch 2 almost exactly the same markup over the Switch 1 as in the US. The weak yen means that almost everything in Japan is cheaper for someone visiting from the US, but for the domestic market — most of whom are paid in yen — it’s still a reasonable investment.
According to some cursory research, the mean annual US salary is 63,795 dollars compared to about 4.6 million yen for Japan (English language sites seem to be all over the place with their figures for Japanese salaries, but I’m hoping MUFG’s data is reliable, even if it’s from 2023).
The vanilla ‘base model’ Switches cost 449.99USD and 49,980JPN in their respective regions.
If the figures above are accurate, a Switch 2 purchase would constitute about 0.71% of the average US yearly salary and 1.1% of the average yearly Japanese salary (assuming each console was bought domestically).
Also, we’re not technically comparing like with like, as the ‘default’ Japanese Switch is (as you’ve noted) basically region and language locked. The ‘multi-language’ version (equivalent to the version sold in the US and other countries) is available on the Nintendo Store for 69,980JPN, which would make it around 1.52% of the average yearly Japanese salary.
So while the Japanese system objectively costs ‘less money’ than its American counterpart after factoring in exchange rates, it’s difficult to argue that it’s an easier financial purchase for the average Japanese consumer.
Also worth nothing that you can’t currently buy the system without first entering a lottery, even at retail stores!
@Joekun Are you sure those numbers are correct? From what I can see, the PS one originally launched at with an RRP of ¥15,000 which eventually dropped to ¥9,980 in 2001.
Compare that to the Switch 2, which costs ¥49,980 for the Japanese language and ¥69,980 for the multi-language version on the official store.
Of course, none of that accounts for inflation, making the numbers basically meaningless, but your ‘¥10,000 more’ figure seemed quite specific so I wondered what it was based on.
In terms of the Switch 1, it's still selling pretty well, shifting over 13k units this week alone. However, the PS5 (combined OG model, Pro, and Digital units) has surpassed it, selling over 15k consoles between its three SKUs.
The fact it takes three different PS5 console to best just just ONE Switch 2 in terms of sales is pretty sad here. Wasn't this suppose to be a 1:1 comparisons? So one has to use three PS5 console sets to make themselves look better? This just show desperation to bootlick Sony.
Week 2 of the Switch - https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/03/nintendo_switch_stays_on_top_in_japan_despite_sharp_week_two_decline
Interesting to re-read the comments from back then too.
@Maxz You had me questioning myself (my memory isn’t what it used to be), but I bought one at launch (12/3/94 a date I will always remember due to their clever 1, 2, 3 marketing) in Akihabara for just shy of 40,000 yen. I did a search and Wikipedia backs up my memory showing a launch MSRP of 39,800. From that perspective Switch 2 seems like an awesome deal.
Edit: Now I see that you thought I was referring to the low cost model released later. I didn’t recall that. I meant the original PlayStation.
I’m in the Uk. People I work with are struggling to get hold of one. It’s a case of them dropping on! Honestly incredible how folk don’t get commerce and come up with horseshit to justify their denial. Devs struggle with Switch 2? Tell that to projected. If you can’t see Switch is in line for continuing Switch success then just keep quiet and play more games lol. Nintendo are the most popular I can ever recall! (And that’s a long time ahem)
@Joekun Aaaah, sorry for the misunderstanding. Sony’s naming conventions sew confusion again! (Though not to the same degree as the Xbox One Series XS Xtreme XXX Edition)
Yeah, the original PlayStation price seems to have plummeted over the years. Sony seemed to keep releasing new models and dropping the price with (almost) every update. It’s quite interesting to watch. I’ve stolen these numbers from the Japanese Wikipedia page.
PlayStation
1994年12月3日。39,800円
1995年7月21日。29,800円
1996年3月28日。24,800円
1996年6月22日。19,800円
1997年11月13日。18,000円
1998年12月1日。15,000円
PsOne
2000年7月7日。15,000円
2001年9月12日。9,980円
It’s pretty crazy that the price halved in less than two years. I know Nintendo offered an Ambassador’s Program to early adopters when it cut the price of the 3DS, though I’m not aware of Sony doing anything similar back in the day (to be fair, I’m not aware of a whole lot from that time period).
These days it seems more realistic to expect a price increase than a drastic cut!
@tsim21
Well you are looking at Japan. In Europe the PS5 has been outselling the Switch for years (and most months).
@sethfranum come on, all PS5 models are PS5s.... of course you should combine them all
I'm enjoying my Switch 2 but I'd much rather have spent $1000 bucks on launch day on a Nintendo home console that was faster than the PS5 instead (Switch 2 + 2 controllers + 1 game = $1000 for me after tax). Stick an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB in a cheap box.
Now I need two consoles instead of one. Would rather I could play everything on just Nintendo.
@MarsOne Looking at all time european sales though switch is at 38m in europe and playstation at 27m.. Yes, its closer, but still switch dominating over the past 8 years.
@Serpenterror oh cool, even better for them lol thanks for the info!
@Maxz thank you, that's lots of info! To tell the truth, since I'm in Italy, I wasn't really comparing Japanese prices to the US ones. Anyway, I'm surprised that in Japan the average yearly salary is even less than here. Here's the average salary is around 30000€ neat, which makes the Switch 2 cost 1.57% of it as it's 470€, just slightly more than the multilanguage version there. Unfortunately we don't have any information about the Switch 2 sales here, so we can't do a real comparison, but it's surely way less than 1 million units, considering that 200000 were sold in France. Also, I wasn't aware of the lottery, the demand must be really impressive!
@Tyranexx
goes out and buys BOTW switch 2 edition
not anymore LOL
@MarsOne Switch 2 is compared to PS5 Pro not other models. Skewing numbers doesn't make for a good comparison.
Poor Xbox, Switch 2 sold more in a day than 5 years on the market. Games and a fun time are THE MOST important part of a console succeeding in the market
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