The Nintendo Switch 2 has been much-maligned on the internet. Folks were very quick to bury the console for being too costly, not good enough, or from a greedy company that is anti-consumer. Those may not be totally inaccurate criticisms, but the reports of the Switch 2’s death were greatly exaggerated.
Despite launching with one title, Mario Kart World, the console has been wildly popular. It’s the follow-up to one of the most successful consoles in the history of gaming, but the early returns suggest that it’s not living in its predecessor’s shadow whatsoever.
Nintendo Switch 2 Sales Showcase Record Interest
According to a report from Reuters, a Wednesday update from the Japanese branch of Nintendo said the company had sold 3.5 million units in its first four days of activity. The Nintendo Switch 2 console officially launched on June 5, with many getting their hands on it that very day.
That makes it the company’s fastest-selling console so far, which is impressive. Nintendo has rarely done poorly with console sales, as its devices are some of the most accessible and beloved. The Nintendo Switch, N64, Wii, and others didn’t sell quite like this, and they didn’t have quite as much perceived baggage. Like most things on the internet, the frustration over Nintendo and the console itself was strictly internet-based. People in the real world bought the Nintendo Switch 2 like it was bread and milk before a snowstorm.
The company projected in April that by the end of March 2026, it would have sold 15 million units of the Switch 2. It has already achieved more than 23% of that in just four days. It has undoubtedly sold more units in the days since that number was calculated as well, with future updates likely to reveal more impressive numbers.
How it Stacks Up
Despite the hot start, it’s unclear if the Nintendo Switch 2 will outsell its predecessor. It sold 152 million times after launching in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic helped, as it became quite popular in 2020 due to its hybrid nature and some games, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, offering a virtual reality that was more positive than the actual reality gamers faced.
For now, Mario Kart World is the only exclusive title on the Nintendo Switch 2, but that’s going to change. More are on the way, and there are upgrades available for Switch 1 games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and others, so there’s plenty to play on the powered-up version of the console.
No Surprise
Anyone who attempted to pre-order the Switch 2 knew that the boycotting and “I’m not buying it” crowd was going to be the vocal minority. In the United States, delayed pre-orders went live at midnight on April 24. At that time, retailer sites struggled mightily. Getting one in the cart from Walmart, Target, or Best Buy was nigh impossible.
GameStop, attempting to be a refuge for those who missed out at the midnight pre-orders (which was countless people), started their pre-orders at 11:00 am ET on the 24th. The site crashed at that time with everyone attempting to get their hands on it.
Certainly, some of the sales were bots and scalpers. Nintendo struggled greatly with that crowd with the original Switch, but they have sought to remedy that with the release of the sequel. They have even already restocked as of today, which is a good sign. The Switch was virtually impossible to find in 2020, and the company is more than prepared to handle the demand and withstand scalping this time around. So far, it’s been a huge success.
What This Means
Nintendo has come under fire for a ton during the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. The pricing, which is more than fair when factoring in the upgrade from the original and inflation, features, and more, had Nintendo in the crosshairs of angry internet users. They’re far from out of the woods there, but the sales clearly prove that people are still more than willing to get the newest Nintendo console, even if there’s only one game available for it.
