5 Key Insights on the Performance of the Switch 2 from Nintendo

The first half of the Switch 2’s inaugural year has wrapped up, and it’s time to take a look at how things are shaping up. Nintendo’s latest earnings report reveals some impressive figures regarding the transition to their next-gen platform. In short, the Switch 2 is performing exceptionally well, though it’s still on the hunt for that one massive hit that everyone will be talking about.

This week, Nintendo announced that it sold 7 million Switch 2 consoles during the 2025 holiday season, bringing the total sales to 17 million in just six months. The original Switch also saw an additional 1.36 million units sold, with another 750,000 expected to move by the end of the current fiscal year on March 31, 2026.

The original Switch has now surpassed the DS’s lifetime total of 154 million, officially making it Nintendo’s best-selling console ever. However, it seems unlikely to surpass the PlayStation 2’s record of 160 million. The original Switch would need to find an extra 5 million sales to take that crown. Here are some other noteworthy insights from Nintendo’s latest earnings:

Digital sales continue to dominate, and typically, physical game sales see a boost during the holiday season as gifts are exchanged. Surprisingly, for the Switch 2’s first holiday, digital sales exceeded expectations with a 14.7 percent year-over-year increase. This surge was largely due to a rise in sales of downloadable versions of packaged games and add-on content, excluding the digital version of Mario Kart World included in the Switch 2 bundle. During the 2024 holiday, 56 percent of packaged software sold was in downloadable form, which increased to 58.7 percent in 2025.

While Nintendo reported a slower-than-expected holiday for the console in the U.S., demand in Japan has been robust, with the Switch 2 significantly outpacing its predecessor. It has sold nearly twice as many units as the original Switch during the first six months. This is partly due to the holiday season coinciding with its launch, unlike the original Switch, which debuted in spring. Still, it indicates a strong appetite for the upgrade.

Interestingly, despite launching a highly anticipated new console in 2025, Nintendo ended the year with fewer annual players than in 2024. The player count, which includes anyone with an account who played a game in the past year, peaked at 130 million in 2024 but dropped to 129 million by December. This suggests that while the Switch 2 is attracting existing players, it hasn’t significantly expanded the overall player base.

Despite the release of Metroid Prime 4 in December, Nintendo did not disclose any sales figures for the game, which is concerning. This likely means the game hasn’t yet reached 1 million sales on either the original or the new console, even if combined sales might have crossed that threshold. While it’s not surprising—Metroid titles have historically underperformed—this raises questions about the future of the franchise and whether players were eager to make it a holiday blockbuster for the Switch 2. Total software sales are up compared to the original Switch, but the overall attach rate is lower, likely due to the extensive backwards-compatible library available to Switch 2 owners.

Nintendo has sold 14 million copies of Mario Kart World, which includes console bundles. Donkey Kong Bananza is performing well as a Switch 2 exclusive with 4.25 million sales, but it remains to be seen if it can reach the heights of Super Mario Odyssey. Pokémon Legends: Z-A has surpassed 11 million copies sold, with nearly 4 million on Switch 2, and even Kirby Air Riders has crossed the 1 million mark. This performance is comparable to the original Switch’s launch lineup after its first six months, but it didn’t have the benefit of Christmas or Mario Odyssey. The original Switch finished its first year with several first-party titles exceeding 5 million sales, and so far, the Switch 2 seems unlikely to replicate that success without a major surprise announcement or two in the coming months.