Nintendo Switch 2 sets all-time launch record for hardware in the US, beating PS4
The new Nintendo console is enjoying big success around the world
Nintendo Switch 2 has set a new record by enjoying the biggest launch week of any games hardware in US history.
The record, previously held by the PS4, has been smashed by Nintendo’s console, which sold 1.1 million Nintendo Switch units in the US during its first week on sale.
In the US, almost 80% of players who purchased a Nintendo Switch 2 also purchased Mario Kart World, either as a standalone physical game or as part of the hardware bundle, which included the game as a pack-in title.
According to Circana data, the three best-selling physical games during the Switch 2’s launch week were Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
The success story of the Nintendo Switch 2 is much the same in Japan, where it has enjoyed a huge launch.
Famitsu has published hardware sales data for the week ended June 8, which covers Switch 2’s first four days on sale in Japan, revealing that some 947,931 consoles were sold.
More impressively, this data is unlikely to include sales on Nintendo’s official My Nintendo Store, which would almost certainly take Switch 2’s Japanese debut to over 1 million units.
The sales figure means Switch 2 is, by far, the biggest console launch in Japan. According to the Game Data Library, a site that archives Japanese sales data from various sources (including Famitsu), the previous fastest-selling console in Japan was the PlayStation 2, with just over 630,000 units sold.
Earlier this week, Nintendo announced that Switch 2 had sold 3.5 million units globally in its first four days on sale, making it the fastest-selling Nintendo system ever, and likely the biggest ever console launch.
In comparison, PlayStation 5 shipped (not sold) 3.4 million units in its first four weeks on sale, and 4.5 million in its first seven weeks, though Sony’s console suffered from significant stock shortages.
The huge start for Switch 2 will give Nintendo a boost in reaching its target of 15 million units for its first business year – or even beating this number, which many analysts predict the console will do.
