Nintendo Switch 2 sales momentum slowed over the key holiday sales period, particularly in Western markets.
It follows a huge launch for the console in June, when Switch 2 became the fastest-selling game console with over 3.5 million units sold in just four days.
The Game Business understands that Switch 2 sales in the US over the holiday period (November – December) was down by around 35% compared with what the Switch 1 delivered during the same period in 2017, which was when it launched. This follows a separate report from US data tracker Circana, which revealed that US console sales overall had their worst November since 1995. Circana’s December figures are due later in the month.
There are also mixed results across Europe. In the UK, Switch 2 sales for the last eight weeks of the year were 16% lower than what Switch 1 managed during the last eight weeks of 2017 (NielsenIQ data).
However, when we add in Switch 1 UK sales, the overall number of Nintendo devices sold during November and December 2025 are up 7% compared with the same period in 2017. Overall for the year, Switch 2 UK sales are 6% higher than what Switch 1 managed in its first year (which was also on sale for 14 extra weeks).
The most disappointing result was in France, which is typically one of Nintendo’s key European markets. According to data shared with The Game Business, Switch 2 sales in France last year were ‘over 30%’ lower than what Switch 1 achieved in its first year. As a result, the UK was bigger than France for Switch 2 sales in 2025.
France was an outlier in terms of full year results. Nevertheless, all major European markets saw a slowdown in Switch 2 sales momentum over the Christmas sales window.
One senior Nintendo employee told me that a “complicated economic landscape”, mixed with higher price points and “the absence of a major Western game” during Christmas could make for tough comparisons with Switch 1, but overall, he’s proud of what was accomplished during a tricky year.
In terms of the Japanese market, Switch 2 finished strongly, but sales were a little lower over November and December compared with the Switch 1 launch year. For the last nine weeks of 2025, 1.32 million Switch 2 consoles were sold in Japan (Famitsu data). This is slightly down (-5.5%) on the 1.39 million units that the Switch 1 sold over the same period in 2017.
However, it was an impressive year in Japan overall, with Switch 2 sales up 11% compared with the launch year of Switch 1 (despite the Switch 1 being on sale for longer). The Switch 2 proposition in Japan is stronger than it is in Western markets, with a cheaper Japan-only version of the console (at roughly $335). Also, the Switch 2 line-up for holiday 2025 was better suited to Japanese player tastes, with Kirby Air Riders one of the key releases. Kirby is a popular IP in Japan, and Air Riders has already sold over 420,000 units since its release (boxed sales only).
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