Nintendo Switch 2 nears 20m unit sales in under a year but shares have tanked 40%

• The Switch 2 has sold almost 20m units in Nintendo's FY2026.
• Net sales grew by 99% over the year, with the over two-thirds of sales revenue coming from outside of Japan.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has sold 19.86 million units in its first 300 days.

Nintendo’s financial year ended just days before the console’s 10-month anniversary, with results revealing record hardware sales for the company’s next generation. The original Switch previously broke records for Nintendo, having sold over 15m units in its first full year.

The Switch 2 has sold 32% more units with two months still to go. It has already surpassed lifetime sales of the Wii U, which fell short of 14m units between 2012 and 2017.

Nintendo numbers

The Nintendo Switch 2 released on June 5th, 2025 after the eight-year Switch generation. The new console has significantly bolstered Nintendo’s FY2026 report, having released early in its financial year.

Nintendo’s net sales grew by 99% to ¥2.3 trillion ($14.7 billion) between April 2025 and March 2026, with 77% coming from outside of Japan. Operating profit also returned to growth with a 28% rise, hitting ¥360.1bn ($2.3bn), meanwhile ordinary profit grew by 46% to ¥542.2bn ($3.4bn).

However, Nintendo’s net profit ratio was down from 24% to 18%.

Alongside almost 20m Switch 2 console sales, Nintendo achieved 48.7m software sales on the new platform with Mario Kart World serving as flagship, accounting for 14.7m.

This was the Switch 2’s primary launch title after the Mario Kart franchise has landed a best-selling game on all three of Nintendo’s most recent prior consoles. Mario Kart 7 was the best-selling 3DS title, Mario Kart 8 was the top seller on the Wii U, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe became the best-selling racing game in history on the original Switch. The latter title has sold 71.1m units to date.

In FY2026, Nintendo’s digital software sales were up 25% year-over-year between the Switch and Switch 2. Earnings from its mobile portfolio weren’t specified despite a new game launch in Fire Emblem Shadows, though AppMagic estimates suggest the game made just $578,000 in its first six months.

Nintendo typically includes mobile revenue in its ‘IP-related business’ category, where sales declined by almost 10% Y/Y, though this was mainly attributed to "a decrease in movie-related revenue". Nintendo’s financial year ended the day before The Super Mario Galaxy Movie released in theatres, which has raced since April to become the highest-grossing film of 2026.

Elsewhere in its financials, Nintendo claimed there is "continued demand" for the original Switch system, which sold another 3.8m units in FY2026, bringing its total lifetime figure to 155.9m. It became the best-selling Nintendo console of all time during Q3, surpassing the Nintendo DS.

The Switch is forecast to sell just 2m units in FY2027, and a price increase for the Switch 2 is expected to impede sales numbers this year. Nintendo has projected another 16.5m Switch 2 sales by next April.

Nintendo's shares fell by 9% between end of trading on May 8th and the beginning of May 11th, coinciding with the financial results and announced price hike.

Shares have crawled back up by 3% since yesterday. However, despite the Switch 2's record success, Nintendo's shares overall have been on the decline since 2025, down 40% in a single year.