Nintendo Switch 2 has sold 26.35 million units worldwide as of September 30, 2026, Nintendo said in its first-half earnings release on November 5. The original Switch is now at 157.20 million, and Nintendo kept its full-year target of 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles unchanged.
The half-year numbers cover April to September 2026. Hardware sold slower than in the launch period a year earlier, but software, digital sales and movie income all grew, and operating profit rose 49.1%.
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Switch 2 sales: the key numbers
| Figure (sell-in) | April-September 2026 | Year earlier | Life-to-date (Sep 30) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 hardware | 6.49 million (-37.4%) | 10.36 million | 26.35 million |
| Switch 2 software | 24.49 million (+18.8%) | 20.62 million | 73.21 million |
| Switch hardware | 1.27 million (-32.7%) | 1.89 million | 157.20 million |
| Switch software | 65.73 million (+6.8%) | 61.56 million | 1,593.87 million |
Nintendo’s explanatory slides split the half into quarters: 3.82 million Switch 2 consoles from April to June and 2.67 million from July to September. The year-earlier half included the system’s launch period, which is why hardware is down while software is up. These are sell-in figures, meaning units Nintendo shipped to stores and sold through its own channels, not units bought by players.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream sold 8.81 million units from April to September, Nintendo's biggest seller of the half. Image: Nintendo
The best-selling games of the half
The surprise hit is a Switch 1 game. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, released in April, sold 8.81 million units in the half (8.83 million life-to-date). Nintendo also noted that Switch games keep selling because they play on Switch 2.
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Switch): 8.81 million
- Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch, July): 2.89 million
- Splatoon Raiders (Switch 2, July): 2.42 million
- Mario Kart World (Switch 2, released last fiscal year): 1.78 million more, for 16.48 million in total
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (Switch 2, September): 1.34 million
- Star Fox (Switch 2, June): 1.17 million
On Nintendo’s top-sellers page, Mario Kart World leads the Switch 2 chart, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza at 5.05 million. Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Pokémon Pokopia are tied at 4.04 million. The Pokopia figure only counts copies sold outside Japan, where Nintendo is the publisher. Kirby Air Riders has reached 1.94 million. If you play Pokopia, its Dazzling Decorations DLC arrives December 9.
Profit up, sales down
Net sales fell 12.1% to 966.0 billion yen, mainly because Nintendo sold fewer consoles. Operating profit still rose 49.1% to 216.5 billion yen, and net profit rose 11.0% to 220.9 billion yen. Three things helped:
- Digital sales rose 60.5% to 249.6 billion yen, or 60.7% of platform software sales.
- IP income (movies, mobile, licensing) rose 87.9% to 62.7 billion yen, partly thanks to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
- Tariff refunds: Nintendo recorded about $300 million of refunded US IEEPA tariffs as lower cost of sales in the first quarter. It said it had mostly paid those tariffs itself rather than passing them on to shoppers.
Splatoon Raiders sold 2.42 million units after its July release on Switch 2. Image: Nintendo
Forecast: 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles this year
Nintendo left its full-year forecast from May 8 unchanged: 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles, 60 million Switch 2 games, 2 million Switch consoles and 105 million Switch games for the year ending March 2027. With 6.49 million consoles sold by September, Nintendo needs about 10 million more over the holiday quarter and early 2027. The forecast already allows for about 100 billion yen of extra costs from higher component prices, especially memory, and from tariffs.
That matters for anyone waiting on a holiday discount. Nintendo raised the US price of Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, citing market conditions. Our Switch 2 Black Friday tracker follows any console deals.
What’s next
Nintendo says it will try to grow the Switch 2 player base with the Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition console, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort (October), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (November) and Metroid Ravenous (January). Nintendo’s next report will cover the October-December holiday quarter. For the rest of the industry, see how Xbox’s latest quarter went.
Sources: Nintendo six-month earnings release, Nintendo financial results explanatory material, Nintendo IR: dedicated video game sales units, Nintendo IR: top selling titles, Gematsu.
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Featured image: Nintendo
