Nintendo Financial Results: Switch 2 Nears 20 Million, Pokemon Titles Dominate Charts
- Sagar Mankar
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Nintendo has revealed its latest financial results, confirming that the Switch 2 has sold 19.86 million units worldwide as of March 31, 2026, while the original Switch has now reached a lifetime total of 155.92 million units sold.
In the final quarter of the fiscal year, Nintendo moved 2.49 million Switch 2 units and 10.78 million software units. The aging Switch 1, meanwhile, added another 0.55 million hardware units and 27.98 million software units in the same period.
Switch 2 Software Sales: Mario Kart Dominates
On the software side, Mario Kart World continues to be a force of nature. The game has sold 14.70 million copies, which accounts for roughly 30% of all Switch 2 software sold to date. Here is a look at the full Switch 2 first-party rankings:
Mario Kart World: 14.70 million
Donkey Kong Bananza: 4.52 million
Pokemon Legends: Z-A (Switch 2 Edition): 3.94 million
Pokemon Pokopia: 2.41 million
Kirby Air Riders: 1.87 million
It is worth noting that Mario Kart World was bundled with Switch 2 hardware, which likely gave its sales figures a healthy boost. Still, 14.70 million is impressive by any measure.
Pokémon Pokopia deserves a special mention here. The game launched on March 5, 2026, and had already sold 2.41 million units by March 31, meaning it achieved that figure in just 26 days. According to Nintendo's financial report, global cumulative sell-through has since surpassed 4 million units within five weeks of release.
The Pokémon Story Continues
The Pokémon momentum does not stop at Pokopia. Nintendo also confirmed that the Switch ports of Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, which launched on February 27, 2026, have surpassed 4 million combined units in global sell-through within just six weeks of release. Those are ports of 22-year-old Game Boy Advance titles priced at $19.99, which did attract some controversy at launch due to their relatively basic nature. That said, four million people clearly found the value worth it.
For context, the original GBA releases sold around 12 million units total, meaning these ports have already cleared roughly a third of that figure in under two months.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream also crossed 3.8 million in global cumulative sell-through within just two weeks of its release, according to the same report.
Switch 1 First-Party Titles: The Legacy List
The original Switch continues to boast some of gaming's best-selling titles of all time. Here is where the top first-party games currently stand:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: 71.08 million
Animal Crossing: New Horizons: 49.91 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 37.76 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 33.84 million
Super Mario Odyssey: 30.50 million
Pokemon Scarlet / Violet: 28.28 million
Pokemon Sword / Shield: 27.16 million
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: 22.56 million
Super Mario Party: 21.32 million
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe: 18.96 million
Additionally, newly revealed titles include Nintendo Switch Sports at 18.32 million, Super Mario Bros. Wonder at 17.44 million, and Super Mario Party Jamboree at 9.96 million.
The Switch version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A has also sold 8.85 million units, while the re-released Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 have sold 2.60 million and 2.76 million, respectively.
Switch 1 vs. PS2: The Race for All-Time Sales Record
One of the more intriguing storylines buried in this earnings report is the ongoing race between Switch 1 and the PlayStation 2 for the title of best-selling gaming console of all time. Switch 1 currently sits at 155.92 million units sold. The PS2's officially recognized figure stands at 160 million, a number that Sony's then-PlayStation boss Jim Ryan stated on a podcast a couple of years back.
Nintendo has forecast just 2 million more Switch 1 sales in the upcoming financial year, which would still leave it short of the PS2's tally. Switch 1 console sales have been falling every year since 2021, with last year seeing a 64% drop to 3.86 million units. At this pace, surpassing PS2 looks increasingly unlikely, especially with Switch 2 now firmly established and Nintendo even raising Switch 1 prices in Japan.
Nintendo Lowers Switch 2 Forecasts Despite Strong Launch Year
Despite all the positive sales numbers, Nintendo has taken a measured step back in its projections. The company has lowered its Switch 2 sales forecast for the upcoming fiscal year from 19.86 million to 16.50 million units.
"For Nintendo Switch 2, sales were more concentrated in the launch year in comparison to previous hardware systems," Nintendo said in its financial results. "Reflecting strong launch-year sales and price revisions, we expect FY27 sales units to decline year-on-year. Even so, we believe this represents a solid level of adoption for Nintendo Switch 2 in its second year after launch."
The price revisions the company refers to are the newly announced Switch 2 hardware price increases:
US: $449.99 to $499.99 (effective September 1, 2026)
Canada: $629.99 to $679.99 (effective September 1, 2026)
Europe: €469.99 to €499.99 (effective September 1, 2026)
Japan (Japanese-Language System): ¥49,980 to ¥59,980 (effective May 25, 2026)
What's Next for Switch 2
On the upcoming titles front, Nintendo has announced Star Fox as a new first-party Switch 2 title, alongside Splatoon Raiders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. On the third-party side, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to land on Switch 2 on May 12.
A Nintendo Legend Steps Down
The financial results also quietly carried some significant personal news. Takashi Tezuka, a 65-year-old executive officer who has been with Nintendo since 1984, is stepping down from his role effective June 26.
Tezuka worked closely alongside Shigeru Miyamoto on Super Mario Bros. and the original Legend of Zelda, and went on to direct Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, and Yoshi's Island, among many others. He is also the co-creator of Yoshi.
His final credit is as producer on the updated re-release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Whether he is retiring entirely or transitioning within the company remains unclear for now.