Switch 2 sales reached 26.35 million consoles by September 30, and the bigger story in Nintendo’s six-month report is what people are putting in them. Nintendo shipped 6.49 million Switch 2 units from April through September, down 37.4% from the launch-fueled half a year earlier. Switch 2 software went the other way, up 18.8% to 24.49 million.
Splatoon Raiders Leads Three New Million-Sellers
Nintendo’s summer lineup did its job. Three first-party Switch 2 games released this fiscal year cleared a million each by September 30:
- Splatoon Raiders (July): 2.42 million
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (September): 1.34 million
- Star Fox (June): 1.17 million
Mario Kart World added another 1.78 million in the half and now sits at 16.48 million lifetime. Donkey Kong Bananza is at 5.05 million and Pokémon Pokopia at 4.04 million.
Tomodachi Life Sells 8.81 Million on the Original Switch
The original Switch is still moving. It shipped 1.27 million consoles in the half, but its software sold 65.73 million units, up 6.8%. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream did most of the lifting at 8.81 million since its April release, and Rhythm Heaven Groove added 2.89 million. Nintendo pointed out that Switch 2 runs those games too, which helps explain why a library that started in 2017 keeps moving. The original Switch now stands at 157.20 million units, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at 72 million on its own.
Digital Sales Rise 60.5% to 249.6 Billion Yen
Money followed the software. Digital sales hit 249.6 billion yen, up 60.5%, mostly from download versions of retail games. Total sales dipped to 966.0 billion yen on fewer consoles, but operating profit climbed 49.1% to 216.5 billion yen. Part of that came from a refund of U.S. tariffs Nintendo had already booked as a cost, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie pushed IP revenue up 87.9%.
Nintendo Still Wants 16.5 Million Switch 2 Units by March
Nintendo didn’t touch its full-year forecast. It still plans to ship 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles and 60 million Switch 2 games by March 31, 2027, which means about 10 million more consoles over the next six months. The plan for getting there is the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2 that launched in October, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time this month and Metroid Ravenous in January.
The forecast already absorbs about 100 billion yen in higher costs from component prices, “particularly for memory,” plus tariffs. If you’ve watched RAM prices climb this year, that line is the same squeeze showing up on a console maker’s books.
Holiday is Nintendo’s big quarter, and Ocarina is already in stores. The next report, due early next year, should show whether Link can close that 10 million gap.