Nintendo expects to sell another 4.5m units of its aging original Switch this year, despite the impending launch of Switch 2.
While the older console’s momentum continues to slow, this forecast would see Switch – now at 152.12m sold – reach 156.62m, overtaking Nintendo DS as the company’s best-selling hardware of all time.
Nintendo DS tapped out at 154.02m units sold across its long life, more than the Wii (101m) and even the combined totals of Game Boy and Game Boy Color (118m). But there’s still one further hurdle to pass.
Sony has historically never released an exact figure for lifetime PS2 sales, though has quoted an estimate of 160m sold. Can Nintendo get to that figure with Switch 1? After this financial year, ending 31st March 2026, it’s predicting it will be just 3.38m away.
In the grand scheme of things, this does not seem too big a gap to close. But it remains to be seen how the launch of Switch 2 will further impact sales of Switch 1, and whether Nintendo can keep its older console selling.
As for Switch 2, Nintendo says it expects Switch 2 will outsell its predecessor through its first year on sale and shift 15m units – though demand is expected to exceed expectations, aside from the ever-changing impact of US tariffs.