After six long years, the Nintendo Switch has finally taken the mantle of the top Nintendo console in the US as it finally beats out the Wii’s lifetime sales.
The Nintendo Switch already outsold one notable console back in February 2022. This is when the Switch beat out the Wii in global sales. Over a year later, the Switch has finally won the battle in the US to become the third-best-selling console.
A report from US market analyst group Circana (formally NPD) via GamesIndustry.biz, described that this milestone was met in July 2023. It even seems like there’s a solid possibility that the Switch could become the best-selling overall console in the US. “Switch lifetime sales now trail Xbox 360 by less than one million units, and PlayStation 2 by fewer than five million”, Circana reports.
It’s more than fair to say that this milestone was largely helped by the wide success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Recently this blockbuster game took consumers by storm and continues to be widely successful. In the US alone, Tears of the Kingdom reached four million copies sold in the first three days.
Globally speaking, the much-loved Zelda sequel sold more than 18.51 million copies since its release in May. In fact, 2023 saw the Nintendo Switch beat its own record for copies sold that it set on its release in 2017.
When it comes to specific regions, the Switch is incredibly popular in Japan. In 2022, 4.8 million units were sold compared to merely 1.15 million for PS5. That said, it remains to be seen how long this winning streak will last. Recently, a Nintendo executive hinted at the possibility of a Nintendo Switch 2, meaning that we could be seeing the final days of the Switch that we all know and love.
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