Nintendo Switch is the second-bestselling game console ever, behind only the PS2

Although it was finally replaced last year by the new Switch 2, the original change is not yet complete. Many recent Switch games (and a handful of major updates, like that of Animal crossing) were released in Switch and Switch 2 editions, and Nintendo continues to sell all editions of the original console as entry-level systems for those who can’t pay $450 for a Switch 2.

The continued availability of the 9-year-old Switch has allowed it to reach a major milestone, according to the company’s third-quarter financial results (PDF). As of December 31, 2025, Nintendo claims that the Switch “achieved the highest sales volume of all Nintendo hardware” with a total of 155.37 million units sold, surpassing the original DS’s total of 154.02 million units. The console has sold 3.25 million units in Nintendo’s 2026 fiscal year so far, including 1.36 million units during the holidays. These consoles sold despite price increases Nintendo introduced in August 2025, citing “market conditions.”

This makes the Switch the second best-selling game console of all time, just three years after becoming the third best-selling game console of all time. The only frontier left for the Switch to conquer is Sony’s PlayStation 2, which Sony says has sold “more than 160 million units” during its long lifespan. At its current sales pace (Nintendo projects it will sell around 750,000 Switches in the next quarter), it would still take a few years for the Switch to cross that line, but those numbers should decline as we move further into the Switch 2 era.