Nintendo has been caught off guard by how swiftly Switch sales have slipped in 2024. Despite this, there’s still a chance for the Switch to nab the crown as the best-selling console ever.
The Switch’s story has been one of triumph since it hit the shelves back in March 2017. With a lineup of highly acclaimed games, the console enjoyed an unexpected boon during the 2020 pandemic. This led to a unique scenario where a four-year-old console quickly became a hot commodity, sold out in numerous major markets. However, since 2021, a gradual decline in sales has become apparent.
This decrease has picked up pace, as reflected in Nintendo’s financial report for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2025, covering the months from October to December 2024. As reported, lifetime sales of the Switch have climbed to 150.86 million units. By the close of 2023, sales had reached just under 139.4 million, meaning 2024 saw an additional 11.5 million units sold. It’s a commendable number for a console that’s nearly eight years old, yet still, the drop-off is more rapid than Nintendo forecasted. Consequently, they’ve adjusted their sales prediction for FY 2025 down from 12.5 million to 11 million units—marking a 12% reduction.
When we discuss the all-time champions in console sales, the Switch finds itself in elite company:
- PlayStation 2: 158 million
- Nintendo DS: 154.02 million
- Nintendo Switch: 150.86 million
- Game Boy (and Game Boy Color): 118.69 million
- PlayStation 4: 117.2 million
In alignment with hardware sales trimming, Nintendo has also brought its expected software sales down from 160 million to 150 million units—a 6.25% decrease. New forecasts for the next fiscal year are anticipated in May 2025.
Looking at the console’s annual performance breakdown, it paints a vivid picture of its journey:
- 2017: Sales reached 14.86m, with a lifetime total of 14.86m, marking its grand entry.
- 2018: Increased to 17.41m (+17.16%), hitting a lifetime sales of 32.27m.
- 2019: Climbed to 20.21m (+16.08%), making the lifetime tally 52.48m.
- 2020: A remarkable jump to 27.39m (+35.53%), leading to a total of 79.87m.
- 2021: Downtrend starts with 23.67m (-13.58%), total 103.54m.
- 2022: Fell further to 19.01m (-19.69%), reaching 122.55m.
- 2023: Continued to slide at 16.81m (-11.57%), lifetime sales now 139.36m.
- 2024: Ended at 11.5m (-31.59%), with lifetime sales of 150.86m.
During a recent earnings call, Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo’s President, reassured fans that the Switch isn’t being left behind just yet, even as a new console, often referred to as the Switch 2, is scheduled to step into the limelight in 2025. There’s still a viable path for the Switch to ultimately become the best-selling console globally, needing to close an 8 million unit gap to achieve this milestone. Although its current sales trend is on the downswing, a potential price reduction following the launch of its successor might spark a renewed buying interest.
It’s worth noting, the Switch is well on its way to claiming the title of Nintendo’s best-performing console, a distinction currently held by the DS, which is only ahead by a mere 3.16 million units. As for the eagerly awaited Switch 2, it’s slated for launch sometime post-June 2025, poised to carry forward Nintendo’s hybrid console legacy.
