Highlights
- Nintendo Switch exclusive game Pikmin 4 has been the best-selling game in Japan for five weeks in a row, surpassing expectations.
- Despite tough competition from other big game releases, Pikmin 4 has received rave reviews and stands tall in terms of overall review score.
Nintendo Switch exclusive game Pikmin 4 has been the best-selling game in Japan for five weeks in a row. Nintendo released Pikmin 4 back in July to rave reviews. In fact, Pikmin 4 is one of the highest-rated new game releases of the year, though it seems to be getting overlooked somewhat thanks to all the other big games that released around the same time.
2023 has been a huge year for the gaming industry, and will likely be looked back on as one of the best in gaming history. High profile, highly-reviewed games have been releasing at a steady pace, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom blowing away expectations in May followed by the launches of Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy 16, and Baldur's Gate 3. Pikmin 4 has stood tall with these games in terms of overall review score, and while its overall sales numbers are unavailable at the time of this writing, it's enjoying an incredible win streak in Japan.
Famitsu has reported the latest estimated sales numbers for physical game sales in Japan for the past week. Pikmin 4 is estimated to have sold 54,904 copies this week in Japan, bringing its total sales numbers in the region to an impressive 721,281. Since the Pikmin franchise isn't exactly known for its high sales number, it seems that the new Switch exclusive is outperforming expectations, though it remains to be seen if the incredible success it's enjoying in Japan will extend to other regions or not.
- Pikmin 4 - 54,904 (721,281)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 16,859 (5,443,641)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 12,861 (1,833,086)
- Minecraft - 9,994 (3,235,955)
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet - 7,996 (5,100,967)
- Splatoon 3 - 7,586 (4,093,171)
- Nintendo Switch Sports - 7,368 (1,158,904)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 7,313 (5,265,833)
- Mario Party Superstars - 5,909 (1,285,614)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 5,699 (7,517,866)
The best-selling games for July 2023 list for the US had Pikmin 4 in sixth place for the month of its release, beaten by Remnant 2, Diablo 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Final Fantasy 16. Typically, a game's strongest sales month is the one it's released in, and so it's very well within the realm of possibility that Pikmin 4 will drop out of the 10 best-selling games list when August's numbers are counted up. Regardless, its strong sales in Japan could very well ensure that Pikmin 4 is the best-selling game in the series when it's all said and done.
Nintendo could be re-evaluating the Pikmin franchise in light of Pikmin 4's sales success. There was some talk that Pikmin 4 could be the last game in the series since the franchise isn't typically a hot-seller for Nintendo, but the new game seems to be turning things around. And if a potential Pikmin 5 were to address some of the complaints fans have about the newest title, perhaps it could be an even bigger hit.
While Pikmin 4 has earned high marks from reviewers, it hasn't been free of criticism. The biggest complaint critics and fans seem to have about the game is Pikmin 4's downgraded co-op options compared to Pikmin 3 Deluxe. If a potential Pikmin 5 were to bring back co-op in full force, maybe it could even outpace Pikmin 4's impressive early sales numbers.
Pikmin 4 is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
