Switch 2 the Fastest-Selling Nintendo Console in UK History, but PS5 and Xbox Series X/S Launches Were Bigger
Nintendo Switch 2 was the company's biggest UK console launch in its history, early sales data has revealed, beating the previous record holder, Nintendo 3DS.
That said, Switch 2's UK launch sales were still lower than those of the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in the country, according to sales data from NielsenIQ, reported by The Game Business.
While a full tally of Switch 2 sales is yet to be publicly revealed, it will be north of the 113,000 units Nintendo 3DS shifted in the UK back in 2011. Indeed, it is reportedly more than double that of the supply-constrained Switch 1, meanwhile, which sold over 80,000 units in 2017.
To a large degree, Nintendo has avoided the same kind of hardware shortages for Switch 2 that were seen around the UK launches of both the Switch 1 and the Wii, when some customers faced weeks of waits in order to finally get their hands on new consoles.
So, why hasn't Switch 2 beaten PS4 and Xbox Series X/S in the UK — or PS5, even, which suffered from particularly bad stock shortages for months after arrival? Well, as The Game Business reports, the UK has always been a comparatively tough market for Nintendo, due to the popularity of both Sony and Microsoft consoles.
High ownership of all three major platforms has meant market share is more divided than in other countries where Nintendo holds a clear advantage over either Sony or Microsoft's machines (Japan), or in other countries where PlayStation has an even greater margin over Xbox.It's also worth noting the price of the Switch 2 in the UK, a relatively steep £395.99 without Mario Kart world, and £429.99 with Mario Kart World.
Yesterday, unverified Switch 2 market data from France was shared online by a noted sales insider, Wccftech reported. This claimed that Switch 2 had sold 200,000 units in the country at launch, doubling the record of the previous fastest-selling console (PS5). Additionally, the attach rate of Mario Kart World — the amount of Switch 2 console owners with the game — was reportedly over 95%.
Nintendo forecast 15 million global sales of the Switch 2 and 45 million game sales for its current financial year ending March 31, 2026. Some analysts have called that figure "conservative." Nintendo has said it's aiming for a launch on par with the first Switch.
If you're still getting started with Mario Kart World, you may like some pointers on how to unlock the game's secret Mirror Mode, including the ability to explore it within Free Roam using a cool Super Mario 64 secret.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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'But it was facilitated by a dismissal of what the S2 currently has to offer (I mostly bought at launch for better performance on S1 titles, upgrade packs, and GameCube), a misunderstanding of MKW's main appeal (which, despite the open world, is still pretty obviously racing), and a disinterest in engaging with anything besides exclusives (which is fair, but the lack there of will be moot by year's end — which is probably when your demographic should've considered buying the thing).' The demographic that this reader brings up is folks like me who own a current-gen gaming console like a PS5 and/or a gaming PC. Some of the other folks who agree with me are also in the same boat. To that end, the reader above is correct when saying that if you already own another gaming system, the Switch 2 might not be that appealing for the moment. 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