Nintendo just released their January 2026 financial report, and there are some interesting numbers there. First and foremost, the Nintendo Switch, which released back in 2017 and will be 9 years old in March, has officially surpassed the previous best-selling console from Team Red, the Nintendo DS. The former managed to sell 155.37 million units, while the latter, which isn't sold anymore and thus can't increase the number, sold 154.02 million.
This is a pretty big accomplishment. For reference, the DS was sold between 2004 and 2016, a 12-year time span. The Switch, which costs more than double, surpassed its lifetime sales in just 9 years. It is now the second best-selling console of all time, behind the PlayStation 2, which sold 160 million copies according to Sony. That's quite a lot of ground to make up, and the Switch might not be able to do it, since its successor is also out on the market.
The latest 6 Nintendo consoles, including its two bestsellers
Speaking of, we also have numbers for the Nintendo Switch 2. The console has sold 17.37 million units, already surpassing the Wii U's lifetime 13.56 million, and closing in on the Gamecube's 21.74 million. And that's with only 6 months on the market. Needless to say, the Switch 2 is looking to be another success for Nintendo. In comparison, the first Switch hit the 17 million mark a whole year into its life cycle (March 2018 financial report, according to Wikipedia).
In terms of game sales for the Switch 2, Nintendo reported on 4 titles. Mario Kart World leads the charge with 14.03 million units, over 80% of the Switch 2's user base. Keep in mind, MKW was sold in a bundle with the Switch 2, so it's safe to assume most people bought that. The second game is Donkey Kong Bananza, at "only" 4.25 million units. That's still almost a third of all Switch 2 users, which is impressive.
Third on the list is Pokémon Legends: Z-A, at 3.89 million units. This is only Switch 2 sales, as the game is cross-platform, so it selling almost as well as Bananza is really good. Not entirely sure how Switch 2 upgrades are counted into this whole thing, since that's an extra 10 dollars. Legends Z-A doesn't appear in the top 10 Switch sales, but that list is unlikely to change anymore.
Finally, there's Kirby Air Riders, at 1.76 million units sold. Not a bad showing for an unconventional cart racer in a year with two other big titles in the genre (the aforementioned MKW and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds). No sign of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but it's worth noting that games only show up in these reports if they sell over a million units, and Prime 4 is also a cross-gen title.
The 4 Switch 2 biggest sellers so far
What do you think of these sales? Will the Switch manage to outsell the PS2? How will its successor fare? Let us know in the comments below!
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