Video games sales soared in Australia last year as the pandemic took its toll.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, sales were up 35 per cent down under with Nintendo proving to be a popular choice.

When it comes to sales in Australia, Animal Crossing: New Horizons took the top spot, which is made all the more impressive because it does not include digital sales, unlike most other entrants.

Australia is just the latest country to be dominated by Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as the Switch exclusive sits at the top of the UK charts too.

However, other Nintendo exclusives that performed well include Mario Kart 8: Deluxe which was up 88 per cent year-on-year. On the whole, the Japanese publisher had a 16 per cent market share.

There were four Nintendo titles within the top 20 games in Australia – Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Ring Fit Adventure.

Playtime

Meanwhile, there was also an increase in console sales as 1.2 million units were sold, representing a rise of 49 per cent year-on-year.

The Nintendo Switch performed well with its sales up 88 per cent from 2019. The Japanese hardware has proven to be popular worldwide as it has remained the best selling console in the US for 24 consecutive months.

Moreover, the Switch has been the top dog in Canada for 25 straight months, while the hardware also outperformed the PlayStation and Xbox in China.

Recently, the Nintendo Switch entered the "midpoint" of its lifecycle, having launched in March 2017.