The Nintendo Switch is now the best-selling console of all time in Japan, having surpassed the lifetime sales of the DS in the country by approximately 350,000 units. Nintendo confirmed this historic achievement as part of its new investor report that also revealed the Switch's latest lifetime sales figures.

The Switch sales have been going strong ever since Nintendo released its celebrated hybrid console in March 2017. Some six years later, the Switch surpassed the lifetime sales of the PS4, consequently seizing the title of the third best-selling console of all time. That achievement was confirmed in February 2023, when Nintendo revealed that its portable system hit 122.55 million in worldwide sales.

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Over the course of the following year, Nintendo managed to move nearly 17 million more units, with its latest investor report revealing that the lifetime sales of the console have reached 139.36 million as of year-end 2023. Approximately 4 million of those Switch sales were made in Japan, helping the handheld system hit 33.34 million in lifetime domestic sales. As a result, the device is now also the best-selling gaming console of all time in Nintendo's home country, having surpassed the DS and Game Boy (including the GBC), whose lifetime Japan tallies sit at 32.99 million and 32.47 million units, respectively.

2023 still marked an overall decline in the console's annual global sales, which dropped by just over 2 million. This turn of events marked the third consecutive year of declining worldwide sales for the Switch. And while that trend clearly signals that the console is now in its twilight years, that's not to say it's done breaking records; although the Switch 2 now appears to be on the horizon, even its imminent release might not necessarily stop its predecessor from eventually seizing the title of the best-selling console of all time. To do so, it needs just 19 million more sales to surpass the PS2. For reference, the DS managed to sell over 20 million additional units after the 3DS was released in early 2011.

Nintendo Switch Worldwide Sales from 2017 to 2023

The last half a decade's worth of Switch sales data suggests that the console could plausibly catch up to the PS2 circa 2026. Its successor should already be well-established by that time, not least because of the currently mounting pile of evidence suggesting the Switch 2 will launch in the second half of 2024.

Best-Selling Consoles of All Time

1. PS2: 158 million
2. DS: 154.02 million
3. Switch: 139.36 million
4. Game Boy (and Color): 118.69 million
5. PS4: 117.2 million

And while the latest reports about the next console's feature set are less conclusive, many fans will certainly be hoping that the upcoming system will at the very least offer backward compatibility, allowing them to enjoy their Switch libraries on newer hardware. There should be no shortage of people sharing that sentiment, as Nintendo's latest investor update also revealed that the Switch software sales have surpassed 1.2 billion units as of year-end 2023.

Nintendo Switch OLED

Nintendo's newest system features a vibrant 7-inch OLED screen, a wide adjustable stand, a dock with a wired LAN port, 64 GB of internal storage, and enhanced audio. Improvements to visuals, audio, and connectivity make a strong impact on highly detailed gameplay and setup is extremely easy.

Dimensions

2.9 x 6.5 x 7.9 in

Weight

1 lb

Chipset

NVIDIA Tegra

Storage

64 GB

$350 at NintendoSee at Amazon