With nearly 69 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of June 2025. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ranked eighth with over 21 million sales, which is even more impressive considering that the title was only released in May 2023. Nintendo Switch The Nintendo Switch is one of the most sought-after video game consoles worldwide. First launched in 2017 by Japanese gaming powerhouse Nintendo, the Switch has generated global buzz for its unique hybrid design that allows players to switch from stationary console to handheld device whenever they want. As of December 2024, Nintendo Switch unit sales surpassed 150 million, and with new games entering the playing field each year, the Switch continues to give competitors such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S a run for their money. Super Mario phenomenon Super Mario is perhaps the most recognizable character in the entire gaming universe. Equipped with his signature blue dungarees and handlebar mustache, the loveable plumber has become so popular that at least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console and handheld for over three decades. As of 2024, Mario remained one of the best-selling video game franchise worldwide, raking only behind Tetris and Pokémon. Looking at the most successful Mario video game of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also overtaken cult classic Super Mario Bros. for the original NES console.

Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over *** million consoles worldwide as of March 2025. Following the poor sales of its predecessor, the Wii U, the Switch was seen as the new hope for Nintendo in the ongoing battle with other console giants, Xbox and PlayStation. The Switch sets itself apart from its competitors by the fact that it can be used as both a stationary console and a portable device, meaning that gamers can play from the comfort of their own homes or on the go. Nintendo cashes in on exclusive titlesOne of the key reasons for the Switch’s success is undoubtedly the popularity of Nintendo’s first-party titles. Blockbuster series such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Pokémon are all exclusive to Nintendo, meaning that fans can only play their favorite games on Nintendo consoles. Unsurprisingly, these Nintendo exclusive games dominate the list of top selling Switch titles worldwide, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sitting top of the pile. Can Nintendo keep up with Microsoft and Sony?Thanks to the success of the Switch, Nintendo has once again been able to stake its claim as one of the big players in the console gaming market. Until 2022, Sony could still claim to be king of the consoles, with unit sales of its PlayStation 4 exceeding the *** million mark in 2019. As of 2023, Nintendo surpassed Sony, having sold over *** million units of the Switch. Microsoft’s contribution, the Xbox One, is lagging some way behind as sales of the consoles are still below ** million units worldwide.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Nintendo generated just over 419 billion Japanese yen (2.8 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue in the United States alone. This accounted for over a third of its annual revenues, making the U.S. the largest market for Nintendo. Europe followed, where Nintendo generated nearly three billion U.S. dollars in sales revenue. Overall, Nintendo’s total revenue for FY 2025 was just over 7 million U.S. dollars, marking a decrease of around four million U.S. dollars compared to the previous year. This continues a trend of declining revenue that began after reaching a decade high of around 16 billion U.S. dollars in FY 2021. Nintendo Switch tops the market The Nintendo Switch has been a major revenue driver for the company, accounting for over 94 percent of Nintendo’s revenue in that year. Since its launch in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold nearly 130 million units and has consistently outperformed other current-generation consoles in global sales each year, up until 2022. Nintendo’s game consoles have always enjoyed global popularity, with three of its consoles ranking among the top 5 best-selling game consoles of all time. Notably, Nintendo is the only company to have a current-generation console among the top- 5 all-time best-selling game consoles. Nintendo games leading global sales When it comes to game titles, Nintendo boasts three of the top- ten best-selling console games of all time. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 55 million units, leading the pack as the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of June 2023. Hot on its heels are Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the best-selling Nintendo titles in FY 2023 with 22 million units sold since their release in 2022. Other popular titles include Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Legend of Zelda, each contributing significantly to Nintendo’s success. Overall, Nintendo sold more than 235 million units of software for its Nintendo Switch gaming console in FY 2022 alone.

In the company's fiscal year 2025, Nintendo sold nearly 11 million units of the Nintendo Switch, a significant decrease in the number of units sold compared to the previous year. Sales of the Nintendo Switch peaked in 2021, when the company sold over 28.8 units. Nintendo Console Sales The Japanese multinational company Nintendo is a name well known all around the world thanks to their long history of producing a range of high-quality video game consoles. Despite being one of the largest video game companies in the world, Nintendo’s net revenue has steadily decreased recently, registering a low of around 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. The sales of the Nintendo Switch comprised the vast majority of the company's sales among its gaming consoles. Over the last decade, Nintendo’s home consoles sales were focused on five different products – Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, and the new Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo 64 dominated the market in the late 90s and early 2000, while the GameCube became popular in 2002. The Wii is Nintendo’s best selling console; despite the release of its successor. About 26 million units of the Wii were sold in 2009, the highest number to date. Overall, Nintendo sold about 100 million units worldwide since 2007. Wii sports, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports Resort are among the best selling Nintendo Wii titles worldwide. Nintendo's newest home console is the Nintendo switch, which was released worldwide on March 3, 2017. The Switch sold around 2.74 million units in its first month, making it Nintendo's fastest selling home console and exceeding initial projections. The Switch is mainly a home console, but also has the ability to be used on the go through an LCD touchscreen. This has led Nintendo to consider the Switch a "hybrid" console. Nintendo’s best-selling handheld gaming product is the Nintendo DS. Sales of the Nintendo DS peaked in 2009, when the company sold over 30 million units worldwide. Since then, sales of Nintendo DS have been declining. The top selling Nintendo DS titles worldwide are Super Mario Bros, Nintendogs, Mariokart DS and Brain Age. The company has also enjoyed a great deal of success with the GameBoy, Nintendo DS predecessor, and the Nintendo 3DS over the years.

With a global sales volume of over ***** million units, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue was the franchise’s best-selling video game worldwide as of December 2024. The first full Pokémon game release on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword/Shield, came in second place with **** million units. Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, the most recent series entry for Nintendo's current Switch console, has sold approximately ***** million units worldwide. Pokémon: a global success story Pokémon is an immensely popular Japanese video gaming series published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, centering around an ever-expanding universe of fictional creatures that players can collect, train, and battle. Since launching its first generation of console games on Nintendo’s Game Boy back in 1996, Pokémon has grown to become one of the world’s most successful gaming franchises with over 480 million Pokémon games sold as of May 2023. Pokémon is also one of the most persistent brand names in the gaming industry, with its Red/Green/Blue Version placing among the five best-selling console games of all time in 2023 - 27 years after its release. Venturing into the mobile games market While Pokémon has been a household name for console gaming for several decades, the franchise ventured into the world of mobile gaming for the first time in 2016. With the launch of Pokémon GO, a location-based augmented reality (AR) mobile version of the original hit gaming series, the franchise adapted to the latest trends in the video game market that center around the growing popularity and profitability of mobile games. Pokémon GO is one of the top-grossing mobile gaming titles worldwide.

The PlayStation 2 was first released in 2000 in response to Sony's hugely popular original PlayStation. The PS2 has become the best-selling video game console of all time. As of May 2025, it had sold over *** million units worldwide. The latest PlayStation 5 console has sold over ***million units as of the most recently measured period. Nintendo's Switch is the only current-generation console among the five best-selling consoles of all time, with over *** million units. PlayStation console history PlayStation is a Japanese video game brand produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of the Sony Corporation. The PlayStation video game console is the most widely known product under the PlayStation umbrella. The first-generation PlayStation console was released in Japan in December 1994, and worldwide the following year. Since then, Sony has released a further four generations of video game consoles - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and the latest PlayStation 5 which was released in November 2020. Sony has also released two handheld video game consoles: the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation Vita. Nintendo console history Nintendo registers three devices in the top five for all-time sales of video game consoles. Nintendo released its first series of home consoles in 1977 with the Color TV-Game. In 1983, the company released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), a console that has recorded close to ** million lifetime sales globally. This was followed by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), and Nintendo GameCube, respectively. In 2006, Nintendo released the Wii, the popular home console with motion control features. Nintendo’s latest home console, the Nintendo Switch, was first released in 2017.

Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 152 million consoles worldwide. The Switch sets itself apart from its competitors by the fact that it can be used as both a stationary console and a portable device, meaning that gamers can play from the comfort of their own homes or on the go. Software sales for the Nintendo Switch amounted to over 155 million units in the company's fiscal year 2025, of which over 46.4 million units were sold in Europe.

The Sony PlayStation 5 was the best-selling video game console worldwide in 2025, selling over *****million units across the globe, having successfully overtaken the Nintendo Switch console in annual unit sales in 2024. The modern-day console wars While the term “console wars” was originally coined to describe the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the video game market during the 1980s and 1990s, the modern usage refers to the battle for supremacy between the PlayStation and Xbox brands. The most recent battle between these console giants has been fought out between their eight-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. However, while PlayStation 4 sales in Europe reached more than ** million units alone, Microsoft’s global Xbox One Sales are yet to reach ** million units worldwide. This duel has also turned into a three-way battle thanks to the enormous success of Nintendo’s hybrid video game console, the Nintendo Switch. Despite being released over three years later than its rivals, Switch global sales have already reached over ****million units worldwide, with over a third of the regional console sales occurring in North America. The future of console gaming This fight for supremacy shows no signs of slowing down with the next battle of the console wars upon the horizon. Following years of speculation, both Sony and Microsoft released their next-generation consoles in the lead up to the 2020 holiday season as PlayStation 5 and Xbox S respectively. Sony continues to have the upper hand, as sales of its PlayStation 5 hit over ** million units as of 2022. In comparison, estimates have Microsoft’s Xbox X/S Series sales at around ***million units as of July 2024.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game published by Nintendo. Part of the hugely popular Zelda franchise of video games, BotW has accumulated over 33.04 million unit sales as of March 2025. The game is one of the top-selling Nintendo Switch game titles worldwide. Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, 2017, as a launch game for the Switch and the final Nintendo game for the Wii U console. The success of Breath of the Wild The release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a huge critical and commercial success. With a total of over 33.5 million unit sales (combined Switch and Wii U versions), BotW is currently the best-selling Legend of Zelda title of all time, ahead of Nintendo 64 fan-favorite Ocarina of Time. Breath of the Wild has broken several game launch records for its publisher Nintendo and won multiple Game of the Year awards from various outlets and organizations. Most notably, BotW won Game of the Year and three other awards at The Game Awards 2017, as well as Game of the Year at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards in February 2018. The popularity of open world action-adventure games Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure title where players explore an open world with plenty of room for experimentation with sandbox and gameplay mechanics. In a 2024 survey, action-adventure games were the second-most popular gaming genre among console gamers.Open world settings have been popular with major RPG and action-adventure titles, as they allow players to explore their in-game environment in a non-linear way with many ways to reach their objective. Initially, some points of the map and gameplay are often locked until the player passes a certain narrative point. Additionally, Breath of the Wild features gameplay mechanics where players can use certain skills to solve puzzles in multiple ways. This approach, where players are given tools to come up with their own creative solutions to objectives, is called sandbox gameplay.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. The simulation game allows players to build up a community from scratch on a deserted island. The Nintendo title was a roaring success, selling more digital copies - five million - in a single month than any other console game in history. Currently, lifetime sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons sit at 48.19 million units.

The Nintendo Switch is a video game console that was first released in March 2017. In its first year, the hybrid handheld and stationary console sold ***** million units worldwide. Sales continued to increase in the following years, with Nintendo achieving record sales of its console in 2020. By the end of 2020, the Nintendo Switch had sold over 76 million units across its lifetime, surpassing its close rival, Microsoft's Xbox One. In 2023, there were around **** million units of Nintendo Switch sold worldwide.

Released on May 12, 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2017 critical hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. An exclusive release for Nintendo's Switch console, the action-adventure game sold 10 million units worldwide in its first 3 days, 2.24 million of which were sold in the game's domestic market Japan. Total lifetime sales of Zelda: TotK stood at 21.93 million as of June 2025. The Legend of Zelda First released in 1986, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular and enduring video games series of all time, with over 130 million unit sales in total. The series centers on the various incarnations of the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule as they fight the main antagonist, Ganon, who attempts to conquer Hyrule and/or the world. Every generation of Nintendo consoles has featured the release of a Zelda game, and many gaming industry veterans have cited the games as highly influential to them. Up until now, ToTK’s predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, still holds the top spot as the best-selling Zelda title, with over 30 million unit sales. Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the then newly released Nintendo Switch console. Will Tears of the Kingdom be able to claim the crown of the new top-selling Zelda games? Highly anticipated video game releases in 2023 Overall, 2023 had been a good year for major video game releases. For comparison, multi-platform billion-dollar seller Hogwarts Legacy (released in February 2023) took 2 weeks to sell about 12 million copies and Tears of the Kingdom is likely to eclipse Hogwarts' sales in due time.In June 2023, Diablo 4, the fourth main installment in the Diablo series, was released by Activision Blizzard over a decade after the previous mainline title, Diablo 3. A financial success, Diablo IV generated about 666 U.S. dollars in sales in five days . Another long-anticipated follow-up release of a major video game series was Baldur’s Gate 3 (developed and published by Larian Studios) – fans of the series had to wait over 20 years for a new title in the RPG gaming series, and BG3, developed by a smaller studio than the original releases, was a well-received hit on release. Following a spring and summer of blockbuster games, Bethesda Game Studios released its PC and Xbox platform exclusive open world action adventure Starfield in September 2023. The game is Bethesda’s first new IP in a quarter of a century and generated more than 1 million players on launch day.

In 2024, Xbox's operating system remained at the top with ** percent share, however a decrease from previous year's remarkable ***** percent. PlayStation's share increased this year with over ** percent of shares. Nintendo maintained a marginal presence, holding a mere **** percent PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch The major current-generation consoles include the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch, the latter being the best-selling current-gen console in 2022, selling over *** million units since its release. PlayStation, meanwhile, registered all their previous-generation consoles in the top ten best-selling consoles of all time, with the PlayStation 2 boasting the top spot with over *** billion units across its lifetime. As of February 2024, current-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles had lifetime sales of around **** and **** million units, respectively. Game console market getting bigger In 2023, video game console revenue worldwide stood at a staggering **** billion U.S. dollars and was predicted to grow steadily over the following years. Offline sales accounted for 55 percent of global console revenue, while the share of console sales through online channels is expected to overtake that of offline sales by 2025. The United States was the biggest home game console market globally, with around *** billion U.S. dollars in 2023, followed by Japan and China.

In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024, Sony Corporation sold approximately 2.8 million PlayStation 5 gaming consoles. Nonetheless, Sony sold a record number of PS5 units in FY 2023, with 20.8 million units sold. This brings the total of sold PS5 units globally to nearly 78 million units. The PS5 console was launched in November 2020 with the first- and second-year shipments hampered by supply chain delays. PlayStation 5 leading unit sales From the original PlayStation to the PlayStation 5, Sony’s consoles have continuously revolutionized gaming by introducing iconic franchises, pushing technological boundaries, and shaping the industry. The company’s PS2 remains the best-selling game console of all time. In 2023, Sony sold nearly 21.8 million PS5 units globally, overtaking the Nintendo Switch’s position as the top-selling console in previous years by over 5 million units, while selling more than the number of consoles from Xbox. Sony XR Beyond the PlayStation console, Sony released an updated virtual reality (VR) headset in 2023; PlayStation VR2, allowing players a new immersive VR experience in select popular PS games. Impressively, Sony’s VR headset has already carved a strong market share for itself in the global extended reality (XR) market.

Sony sold a total of 2.8 million PlayStation 5 gaming consoles in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2024. Sales of PlayStation consoles generally tend to peak in the company’s third fiscal quarter, which is the fourth calendar quarter, as people begin to prepare for the holiday season. PlayStation Sony’s PlayStation line of gaming consoles ranks as one of the most successful console brands of all time – five of its products ranking among the top ten highest selling consoles in history. The PlayStation 2 ranks at the top of this list with over 157 million units sold, while the more recent PS4 ranks fourth, generating an additional 113 million unit sales throughout its lifetime. The online entertainment network associated with the consoles is called the PlayStation Network, and as of March 2024, had around 118 million active users. Gaming Consoles The console gaming industry is dominated by three major brands: Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Sony’s PlayStation 5 sold about 21.8 million units in 2023 and ranks as one of the market’s most popular products alongside the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft’s Xbox X/S Series was released in the same year, when it sold over three million units.

The long-awaited open-world RPG Hogwarts Legacy, which is set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, was an instant hit on release. Launched in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy sold 12 million units in its first two weeks of release and a lifetime total of 34 million units with a retail sales gross of 1 billion U.S. dollars as of March 2025. First launched for current gen consoles PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 10, it received a May 2023 release for the previous generation of gaming consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch release also happened in November 2023.