The lifetime sales of the Nintendo Switch have now topped 155 million, the company has revealed as part of its most recent earnings call. That makes it the second-best selling video games console of all time.
The landmark of 155.37 million sales means the Japanese gaming giant has now overtaken its own Nintendo DS range on the all-time sales list. “Nintendo Switch has reached the highest sales volume of any Nintendo hardware,” the company confirmed in its earnings report.
The handheld DS sold 154.02 million over the course of its lifetime – partially thanks to a massive Brain Training craze among non-traditional gamers of a certain vintage – but the Switch’s 3.25 million sales in the current financial year has relegated the DS into bronze metal position.
The Switch now only trails the might Sony PlayStation 2 in lifetime sales. Sony says the PS2 sold “over 160 million units” so it’s entirely plausible the Switch could take top spot if Nintendo continues to offer it for the next couple of years.
The Switch shifting over three million consoles in the last few months is quite remarkable considering the Switch 2 has been on sale for that entire time. The sequel console still outsold the OG by a margin of five to one (17.37 million during FY26/Q1-Q3). However, there’s are plenty of conclusions we can draw from the Switch’s enduring popularity.
For starters the library of Switch 2 exclusive games isn’t winning everyone over, even though original Switch games are still compatible with the new system. The price of the new system ($450 / £396 ) might be prohibitive for some users who would probably buy the new console otherwise. Continued updates to new games like Animal Crossing might also be convincing OG Switch owners to replace their existing machine rather than splash out. They’re getting what they want from the original machine.
Whether the Switch 1 sales represent new buyers or those replacing worn out systems isn’t clear. However, it’s a testament to the enduring popularity of the system that’s been around nine years now.
