According to sales results during the holiday period, Nintendo’s Switch 2 console failed to repeat the success of the first Switch from 2017.
The Nintendo Switch 2 became the fastest-selling console of all time, whether we’re looking at sales in 24 hours, the first week, or the time it took to reach 10 million units shipped. It is undeniable that Nintendo’s current console had a very successful start in sales, despite being the most expensive Nintendo console to date.
However, according to a report by The Game Business, the last two months of 2025 have not been very successful for Nintendo. In that (pre)holiday period Nintendo Switch 2 sold weaker than the first Switch in the same period of 2017.
More specifically, in the US market, Switch 2 sold 35% less than Switch 1 eight years ago in the 11th and 12th months. In the UK market, the results in the same comparison were 16% weaker (although the total sales of the Switch 2 in six months are higher than the sales of the Switch 1 in its first eight months).
As for the rest of Europe, it is reported that Switch 2 sales at the end of the year were also significantly weaker than in the same period of 2017. Among the European markets, France recorded the largest drop in sales of 30% according to the specified parameter.
How to explain this? And it’s not difficult, actually. It should be remembered that at the end of 2017, Switch 1 received one of its best-rated and ultimately best-selling games – Super Mario Odyssey. On the other hand, The Nintendo Switch 2 didn’t have a new Super Mario gameand the other exclusives did not go very well. The new Pokemon sold well, but it was not necessary to buy the Switch 2 for that game because it is also available on the old Switch.
Another thing that is important to emphasize is that it is spending on video games and gaming equipment generally declined in 2025. According to data from the analytics company Circana, only 1.6 million consoles were sold in the US market in the 11th month, which is the weakest result since 1995.
In short, the cost of living continues to rise, the prices of everything go up, so it’s no wonder that gaming is not a priority for many people in such circumstances.