Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 143.4 million consoles worldwide as of August 2024. 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 100 million mark in 2019. As of 2023, Nintendo surpassed Sony, having sold over 140 million units of the Switch. Microsoft’s contribution, the Xbox One, is lagging some way behind as sales of the consoles are still below 60 million units worldwide.

In 2024, Nintendo's net sales amounted to just over 11 billion U.S. dollars, down from over 12 billion a year earlier. Nintendo is a multinational consumer electronics and software company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Nintendo history Founded in September 1889 as a small Japanese firm producing handmade playing cards, Nintendo has evolved into one of the largest video game manufacturing companies. Operating as a single business segment, Nintendo’s operations are categorized by product type such as video game platforms, mobile, and playing cards. Most of Nintendo’s revenue is generated through sales of video game platforms. Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox Of the all-time sales of video game consoles, Nintendo registers three devices in the top five – Nintendo DS, Game Boy, and Nintendo Switch. PlayStation devices complete the top five list with the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4 featured, while the Xbox 360 is the only device under the Xbox brand that makes its way into the top ten rankings. Of the leading current-generation game consoles, the PlayStation 5 has recorded notably more sales compared to the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S.

In the financial year ending March 2024, Nintendo generated just over four 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 2024 was just over 11 billion U.S. dollars, marking a decrease of around one 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.

Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 141 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 199 million units in the company's fiscal year 2024, of which over 57.41 million units were sold in Europe.

In the fiscal year ending March 2024, Nintendo generated approximately 50.2 percent of its gaming software revenue via digital unit sales. This includes sales of downloadable versions of packaged software, download-only software, add-on content and Nintendo Switch Online. During the measured period, digital sales amounted to 443.3 billion yen.

The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo's best-selling home console, with over 137 million units shipped as of February 2024. Launched in 2017, the hybrid console enables gaming in both handheld and docked configurations. The Wii is Nintendo's second best-selling console, with around 102 million units shipped.

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 13.12 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 16.4 million units of Nintendo Switch sold worldwide.

Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 143 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 homes or on the go. Hardware sales for the Nintendo Switch amounted to nearly 16 million units in 2024.

In its 2024 fiscal year, Nintendo sold nearly 16 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.

As of September 2024, Nintendo had sold approximately 1.3 billion software units for its Nintendo Switch gaming console, making it the company's most successful gaming system in terms of video game sales. Lifetime unit sales for Wii console gaming software amounted to 921 million.

In 2024, Nintendo Switch generated over ten billion U.S. dollars globally for Nintendo, its lowest sales revenue since 2020 when the Switch platform generated a record about 11.3 billion U.S. dollars in sales revenue. Nintendo Switch has been the company's flagship gaming console since its release in 2017, quickly overtaking Nintendo 3DS's popularity to become Nintendo's most sold product.

First released worldwide in 2017, the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid handheld and home video game console produced by Nintendo. As of November 2024, it had sold nearly144 million units across the world, including over 50 million units in North America. Nintendo handheld consoles In addition to a range of home consoles, Nintendo has also released various handheld consoles. The first was of this type was the original Game Boy in 1989, a device that was followed by additional iterations such as the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. In 2014, the company released the Nintendo DS, achieving over 150 million lifetime sales. Popular game titles on the DS include New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, and Mario Kart DS. Nintendo released the 3DS in 2011, a device that enables the user to view the screen in 3D without the need for special glasses. Finally, the Nintendo Switch Lite, a more affordable version of the Nintendo Switch, was released by the company in 2019. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Of the all-time video game console sales, three of the top five are Nintendo products. The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, with Nintendo’s DS and Nintendo Switch rounding out the top three. Other competitors include the Game Boy and Microsoft’s Xbox console family, although Sony has sold nearly twice as many of its PlayStation 4 console when compared to the Xbox One. This is a trend that is expected to continue with the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, with the PlayStation 5 outselling the Xbox X/S consoles since all the products were launched in late 2020. As of 2023, the Nintendo Switch console ranked second in terms of current-gen game console sales.

First released in Japan in 1983 and in North America in 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is the third generation of home video game consoles produced by Nintendo. As of October 2024, it had sold 61.91 million units across the world, including over 33 million units in North America.

In 2023, Nintendo sold over 4.87 million units of its popular game console Switch in the United States, slightly down from the 5.83 million units that were sold in the previous year. Nintendo Switch sales in the U.S. peaked in 2020 when it sold over 9 million units that year.

In the fiscal year ending March 2024, downloadable versions of packaged gaming software accounted for 51.5 percent of Nintendo's digital gaming sales, down from a 56.1 percent share in the previous fiscal year. This indicated the increasing popularity of digital exclusives and independent games, as well as digital add-on content.

In the fiscal year ending March 2024, Nintendo sold approximately 199.67 million units of software for its Nintendo Switch gaming console. Lifetime unit sales for Switch console gaming software amounted to 1.23 billion.

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 October 2024, it had sold over 158 million units worldwide. The latest PlayStation 5 console has sold over 60 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 142.6 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 62 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.

With over 67 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the top-selling Nintendo Switch game based on lifetime sales as of December 2024. 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.

Partially due to the release of Nintendo’s newest console, the Nintendo Switch, sales of the company’s Wii and Wii U consoles fell to zero in 2018. During the product’s run as Nintendo’s flagship console, the Wii spawned some of the best-selling console games of all time, such as Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports Resort, each selling tens of millions of units.

Nintendo

Nintendo began as a small Japanese playing card manufacturer in 1889. Today, as one of the biggest names in the video game industry, the company ranks among the most valuable brands in the world and generates billions of dollars each year through the sales of its consoles, games, and merchandise.

Console Gaming

Magnovox released its Odyssey console in 1972, making it the first video game console ever made. Throughout the decades since, console gaming has exploded in popularity and become a massive global industry. Modern consoles regularly sell tens of millions of units throughout their lifespan, and the most popular products, including PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Game Boy, and Nintendo Wii, boast sales of over 100 million units.

First released in November 2006, the Wii is a video game console developed by Nintendo. As of November 2024, it had sold 101.6 million units across the world, including over 33 million units in Europe. Nintendo history Nintendo is a multinational consumer electronics and software company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in September 1889 as a small Japanese firm producing handmade playing cards, Nintendo has evolved into one of the largest video game manufacturing companies. Operating as a single business segment, Nintendo’s operations are categorized by product type such as video game platforms, mobile, and playing cards. Most of Nintendo’s revenue is generated through sales of video game platforms. Nintendo home 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 62 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, with its successor the Wii U released in 2012. Nintendo’s latest home console, the Nintendo Switch, was first released in 2017.