A few weeks back, we covered news that the US suffered its worst November since 1995 in terms of console hardware sales. Well, as reported by The Game Business, the Switch 2 wasn't immune, with sales down by 35% in the US compared to what the original Switch delivered in the same period during 2017.
Things are slightly better in the UK, though not by much. When comparing the same periods, the Switch 2 was down by 16% compared to the original Switch. It does, however, seem like a lot more people bought the Switch 2 during its first few months on the market, as overall sales for 2025 were actually up by by 6% compared to the Switch (which was also released a full 14 weeks earlier too, by the way).
Over in France, which is typically one of the strongest regions in Europe for Nintendo, Switch 2 sales for the Christmas period were down by "over 30%" compared to the Switch. This means that the UK actually saw stronger console sales than France over the same period.
Sales in Japan were also down, though admittedly not by much. We actually have solid figures here, too, with the Switch 2 shifting a total of 1.32 million consoles during the last nine weeks of 2025, while the Switch managed a total of 1.39 million during the same period in 2017, resulting in a decrease of around 5.5%. Similar to the situation in the UK, overall Switch 2 sales for the year in Japan were up by 11% compared to the Switch's launch year.
The Switch 2 is doing remarkably well, then, and has already nailed the record as the fastest-selling console of all time. But as noted by an unnamed senior Nintendo employee when speaking to The Game Business, the "complicated economic landscape” mixed with higher price points and “the absence of a major Western game” means that the Switch 2 hasn't enjoyed quite as strong a Christmas period as the company might have hoped.
It'll be interesting to see how things pan out in 2026. Nintendo is currently lacking a major "must-have" title for the Switch 2, with the likes of Mario Tennis Fever and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book headlining the line-up so far. However, if rumours of a potential Pokémon Gen 10 release later this year turn out to be true, then we reckon Nintendo might have the Christmas 2026 period in the bag.