Nintendo Switch Looks Set To Retire Comfortably As The Third-Best-Selling Console Of All Time

In its financial results for the three months that ended June 30, 2023, Nintendo has confirmed that 3.91 million Switch consoles were sold during that quarter. That brings lifetime sales of the hybrid handheld and home console to 129.53 million sales, cementing its position as the third-best-selling console of all time.

This is a 13.9% increase year-on-year according to Nintendo, with sales of the OLED model accounting for most of the purchases (2.83 million) during this quarter. Game sales were also up during this period, with games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and reliable earners like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe helping the company shift over 52 million game units.

"The new title The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sold 18.51 million units during the first quarter, which not only significantly increased software unit sales, but also drove hardware sales," Nintendo added in its report.

It took six years for the Switch to claim third place in the best-selling consoles of all time chart, which saw it topple the Game Boy and Game Boy Color handhelds from that position. Currently, second place is held by the Nintendo DS family of handhelds (154 million lifetime sales) and the PlayStation 2 sits at the top of that console food chart with 155 million lifetime sales.

Nintendo estimates that it will sell 15 million consoles during the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, which will comfortably secure the console's current position on the charts.

Can the Switch still emerge as the best-selling video game console of all time? It's a goal that is potentially in reach, even if Switch hardware sales are slowing down and rumors of a Switch successor have begun heating up.

A combination of price cuts across all three Switch models and new games could allow for it to steadily close the gap and eventually dethrone the PlayStation 2, which has held onto its top spot for decades. Nintendo consoles have generally had an impressive shelflife even when new hardware has been introduced, and combined with a loyal fanbase, Nintendo could eventually claim the position of the best-selling console of all time.

However, with rumors of a Switch 2 release in late 2024, we could see a quick drop-off, as well.