Console Sales
Nintendo employee attributes Switch 2 holiday slowdown to economy, pricing, and game lineup
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Updating earlier reports on the Nintendo Switch 2's weaker 2025 holiday sales in Western markets compared to the original Switch, a senior Nintendo employee highlighted a 'complicated economic landscape,' higher prices, and lack of a major Western title as factors. New details reveal resilience in Japan thanks to a cheaper local version and strong holiday game sales, amid a promising 2026 lineup.
The Nintendo Switch 2 sold 5.9 million units in the United States during its first 12 months on the market, making it the second fastest-selling console in the country's history. Data from Circana's May 2026 report showed the device outsold all other platforms that month. Meanwhile PlayStation 5 and Xbox hardware sales reached historic lows for the period.
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Nintendo is reducing production of its Switch 2 console by a third this quarter, from six million to four million units, following disappointing holiday sales in the United States. The move comes despite a strong launch, with sales now lagging behind expectations amid a thin software lineup. Shares in the company fell 6.3 percent in Tokyo after the news broke.
The Nintendo Switch is on the verge of becoming Nintendo's best-selling console ever, with sales at 154.01 million units, just shy of the Nintendo DS's 154.02 million. This milestone highlights the hybrid console's enduring success amid industry shifts. It may even challenge the PlayStation 2's all-time record of over 160 million units.