Switch 2 Absolutely Destroys PS2’s Launch Record in Japan

by

It’s not too unexpected, but the Nintendo Switch 2 has broken almost every other console’s launch sales records in the country. The system sold a staggering 947,931 units upon its release, as reported by Famitsu. This figure doesn’t include sales from the My Nintendo store either.

To provide some perspective, the PS2 previously held the record for the highest console launch sales in Japan with 630,552 units. However, Nintendo’s new device has far surpassed this figure, selling around 15% of the total lifetime sales of the PS5 within just a few days. That’s quite an achievement!

In simple terms, Mario Kart World was the initial game released for its platform, and it managed to sell a total of 782,556 units. This number accounts for both copies that came with other items as well as individual physical sales, though digital purchases from Nintendo eShop were not included in this count.

Interestingly enough, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on the Switch 2 proved to be the second highest-selling game in terms of physical sales, with a total of 10,877 units sold. For instance, no other launch title came close to this figure.

It’s not exactly unexpected news, considering Nintendo revealed earlier this week that they have already managed to sell over 3.5 million units globally.

Notably, despite being on sale for the Days of Play and following the State of Play event, the PS5 saw an enhanced week’s performance. However, with a sales figure of only 20,782 units, it seems rather small when stacked against the launch numbers of the Switch 2. Given the circumstances, it’s no surprise that Sony might struggle significantly in its home market.

It’s intriguing to contemplate the potential influence of the Switch 2’s initial popularity on the support for the PlayStation 5, as well as how long Nintendo will be able to sustain the momentum of their new console.

Software Sales

  1. [SW2] Mario Kart World (Nintendo, 06/05/25) – 782,566 (New)
  2. [NSW] Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (Marvelous, 06/05/25) – 45,703 (New)
  3. [NSW] FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time (LEVEL-5, 05/21/25) – 17,180 (111,904)
  4. [NSW] Natsume’s Book of Friends: Hazuki no Shirushi (Bushiroad Games, 06/05/25) – 16,865 (New)
  5. [PS5] Elden Ring Nightreign (Bandai Namco, 05/30/25) – 12,064 (54,822)
  6. [SW2] Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (Marvelous, 06/05/25) – 10,877 (New)
  7. [SW2] The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – NS2 Edition (Nintendo, 06/05/25) – 7,992 (New)
  8. [SW2] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – NS2 Edition (Nintendo, 06/05/25) – 7,529 (New)
  9. [SW2] Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut (SEGA, 06/05/25) – 7,486 (New)
  10. [NSW] Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo, 10/17/24) – 6,771 (1,317,174)

Hardware Sales

  1. Switch 2 – 947,931 (New)
  2. PS5 – 14,535 (5,690,661)
  3. Switch OLED Model – 8,040 (9,060,680)
  4. Switch Lite – 6,089 (6,581,795)
  5. PS5 Pro – 4,230 (218,056)
  6. Switch – 2,482 (20,109,545)
  7. PS5 Digital Edition – 2,017 (974,094)
  8. Xbox Series S – 163 (337,686)
  9. Xbox Series X – 113 (320,660)
  10. Xbox Series X Digital Edition – 57 (20,820)
  11. PS4 – 24 (7,929,628)

Read More

2025-06-12 17:36