According to GameSpot, the Nintendo Switch has now sold 154.01 million units since its 2017 launch, putting it just 10,000 units away from matching the Nintendo DS’s lifetime total of 154.02 million. The Switch has almost certainly already passed this milestone, since Nintendo’s numbers only run through September 30 and we’re now in November. Meanwhile, the Switch 2 has sold over 10.36 million units as of September 30, making it the fastest-selling console ever over its first four months. Original Switch sales dropped 60% year-over-year to 4.72 million units for the six-month period ending September 30, which was expected given the Switch 2’s June 2025 launch. Nintendo has downgraded its original Switch sales forecast from 4.5 million to 4 million units for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026.
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The Inevitable DS Overtake
Here’s the thing – the Switch passing the DS isn’t really a question of if, but when. Actually, it’s probably already happened. Nintendo‘s numbers are from September 30, and we’ve had over a month of sales since then. The company sold 4.72 million original Switch units in just six months, so moving 10,000 more units was basically guaranteed within days of that reporting period ending. The real question is when Nintendo will officially announce it – they could wait until their next earnings report in February 2026, or they might drop the news earlier if they want to create some positive buzz around the holiday season.
The PS2 Mountain
Now for the bigger challenge: catching the PlayStation 2’s legendary 160 million units. Analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners doesn’t think it’s happening, and honestly, he’s probably right. The Switch needs to sell another 6 million units to pass the PS2, and with the Switch 2 now dominating sales, that’s a pretty steep hill to climb. Nintendo’s own projections tell the story – they’re expecting just 4 million more original Switch sales through March 2026. Even if they beat that forecast, they’d still need another couple million beyond that. Basically, the original Switch would need to keep selling at a decent clip for another year or two while the Switch 2 is hitting its stride. That seems… unlikely.
Switch 2’s Record-Breaking Start
Meanwhile, the Switch 2 is absolutely crushing it. Selling 10.36 million units in just four months is insane when you compare it to other consoles. The PS5 managed 7.8 million in its first four months, the PS4 did 7.6 million, and the original Switch only hit 4.74 million. That’s more than double the original Switch’s launch pace! As Daniel Ahmad noted, this makes the Switch 2 the fastest-selling console ever over its first four months. The demand is clearly there, and Nintendo seems to be meeting it with their upgraded production targets – they’ve boosted Switch 2 sales projections from 15 million to 19 million for the current fiscal year.
What This Means For Nintendo
So where does this leave Nintendo? In a pretty enviable position, honestly. They’re about to have their best-selling platform ever, their new console is breaking records, and they’re managing the transition between generations better than just about anyone in the industry. The 60% drop in original Switch sales looks dramatic, but that’s exactly what you’d expect when a successor launches. As Ahmad points out, this kind of decline is normal during a hardware transition. The fact that they’re still projecting 4 million more original Switch sales while the Switch 2 is flying off shelves shows they’ve got a solid strategy for keeping both platforms relevant. Not bad for a company that many wrote off after the Wii U era.
