Switch 2 is by far Japan’s biggest ever console launch, likely clearing 1 million units
Famitsu sales data shows Switch 2 sold three times more than Switch 1 at launch
Nintendo Switch 2 is by far Japan’s fastest-selling console of all time, week one sales data has confirmed.
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.
Game Boy Advance managed 611,000 units in its first week, and Nintendo DS sold just over 468,000 units. The original Nintendo Switch sold 330,637 units in its opening week – nearly three times less than its successor has now managed.
Switch 2’s Japan launch success comes as little surprise, considering Nintendo has dominated the Japanese sales charts for 20 consecutive years, per VGC analysis. At over 35 million sales total, Nintendo Switch is also Japan’s best-selling game console to date, beating Nintendo DS’s 33 million.
According to Famitsu data, five Switch 2 games appeared in the top ten software chart in their launch week. Mario Kart World sold a huge 782,566, giving it an attach rate of at least 82% (these sales do not include digital).
Rune Factor (10,877 sales), The Legend of Zelda Switch 2 Editions Tears of the Kingdom (7,992) and Breath of the Wild (7529), and Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut (7,486) also appeared in the top ten.
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.
Nintendo Switch 2 released on June 5, alongside Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
