sales exceed those of the PS4

These figures place the Switch 2 in an enviable position compared to all historical references in the sector. With 68% ahead of the sales rate of the original Switch over the same period, and even 3% better than the PlayStation 4 which until now held the start-up speed recordNintendo proves that its bet on a summer release was not a strategic error. Unlike the PS4 which benefited from the frenzy of the end-of-year holidays when it was launched in November 2013, the Switch 2 was established in June 2025, in the heart of summer.

The success of the Japanese console takes on even more significance when we examine it in the overall context of the American hardware market. Without Switch 2, October would have been a catastrophic month for the industry. Nintendo’s new machine offset the marked declines of all other platforms: the first generation Switch fell 52% compared to October 2024, while the Xbox Series was down 37% and the PlayStation 5 was down 22%. This ability to support the entire market alone demonstrates Nintendo’s commercial strength.

Pokémon Legends ZA: a solid launch, but behind expectations

On the software side, Pokémon Legends ZA established itself as the 2nd best seller of October in the United States, just behind le carton Battlefield 6. The new title in the Pokémon franchise, released on October 16, 2025 simultaneously on Switch and Switch 2, also won the title of best physical launch of the year 2025, confirming the persistent appeal of game boxes in an increasingly dematerialized market.

Globally, Pokémon Legends ZA’s performance remains impressive with 5.8 million copies sold in its first week. A remarkable figure, although slightly behind the 6.5 million Pokémon Legends Arceus as of January 2022and far from the 10 million Scarlet and Purple Pokémon reached in just three days. Notably, around half of these sales concern the Nintendo Switch 2 version, proof that players have massively adopted the new console to benefit from the improved graphics and superior performance of the title.

In Japan, the game got off to a colossal start with nearly 1.485 million copies sold in its first week, including 872,552 on the original Switch and 615,905 on the Switch 2. In Europe, the title dominated the eShop rankings on both Switch and Switch 2 throughout the month of October. Spain, however, posted more modest figures with 89,000 physical copies sold in the first week, half as many as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet when they were released.

Discover Pokémon Legends ZA on Switch 2

An American market growing modestly, but full of hope

The American video game market as a whole generated approximately $4.9 billion in October 2025, representing growth of 3% compared to October 2024. This increase was mainly driven by three factors: mobile spending (up 10%), the growth of subscription services (+9%), and obviously hardware sales boosted by the Switch 2.

Content spending reached $4.4 billion, growing modestly by just 1%. This performance is explained by declines in certain segments which partially offset gains in mobile and subscriptions. The launch of Battlefield 6 nevertheless made an impact by instantly becoming the best-selling game of 2025 on the American market, dethroning all other titles on the annual ranking. EA’s game also set a new record for the franchise by generating the largest single-month dollar sales volume over the past three years, even surpassing October 2022’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare II.

The Switch 2 continues to roll over everyone

With more than 10.36 million consoles sold worldwide since its launch on June 5, 2025, the Switch 2 stands out as one of the most successful launches in the history of video games. Nintendo has also revised upwards its sales targets for the current fiscal year, going from 15 million units initially hoped for to 19 million now. Some Bloomberg analysts even suggest that the Kyoto firm has asked its suppliers to accelerate production to reach 25 million Switch 2s by the end of March 2026.

Nintendo’s strategy paid off by producing massively from launch to avoid shortages and short-circuit the scalpers’ market, while banking on a solid launch catalog without forgetting backward compatibility with Switch games which allowed players to immediately benefit from their existing library with graphical improvements.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella remains cautious about forecasts for the end of the year, noting that economic uncertainty in the United States makes forecasting more difficult than ever. However, with titles like Kirby Air Riders et Metroid Prime 4 BeyondNintendo has a particularly attractive end-of-year holiday catalog to maintain momentum.

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