Switch 2 Breaks Nintendo Sales Record With 3.5M Units in 4 Days

The Switch 2 is now Nintendo’s fastest-selling console following its launch on June 11, 2025. It sold over 3.5 million units in just four days according to an official press release. For comparison, the original Nintendo Switch sold 2.7 million units during its launch month in 2017. The Nintendo Switch 2 is priced at $450 for the standard launch model and $500 for the Mario Kart World bundle edition. It is a large price increase compared to the launch price of $300 for the first-edition Nintendo Switch in 2017.

Nintendo has appears to have addressed the logistics issues it faced during the launch of the original Switch. Unlike the original Switch launch, retailers including Target, Best Buy and Walmart have maintained regular stock availability to keep up with the demand. Even in markets like India, where the console is not available officially, online stores are seeing grey market listings without any warranty from Nintendo.

The Switch 2 was released eight years after the launch of the original Switch. Nintendo projected sales of 15 million units by March 2026 in its latest earnings report. The recent sales figures shot above the company’s sales expectations.

Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America's president and chief operating officer, said in a statement, “fans around the world are showing their enthusiasm for Nintendo Switch 2 as an upgraded way to play at home and on the go. We are thankful for their response and happy to see the fun they are already having with Nintendo Switch 2 as they explore new features and games that bring friends and family together in new ways.”

The new console features better visuals, performance, and controls. Nintendo aims to release several new first- and third-party games for the new console that take advantage of the new hardware. The software has also received an upgrade with a new GameChat2 feature that allows gamers to voice or video chat while playing together.

Nintendo’s sales figures dwarf those of other handheld gaming devices in the market. The Switch’s chief competitor, Valve's Steam Deck, has sold an estimated 3-4 million units since launching in February 2022, according to industry analysts. Other competing handheld gaming devices like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are further behind the competition, with Nintendo taking the lead.

Nintendo has remained a prominent player in the handheld gaming market, with its Nintendo DS and Nintendo Switch (2017) devices selling upwards of 150 million units. The Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 3DS have also broken records during their respective launches, and the three consoles have collectively sold over 275 million units.