Animal Crossing Has Switch's Best Physical Release Ever In The UK

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has tracked the best ever launch numbers in physical sales for a Switch game in the UK. The initial sales for Nintendo's latest big game are the system's best ever, unless you count Pokemon Sword/Shield as a single game and combine their sales.

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that the launch sales numbers for the latest Animal Crossing in the UK are higher than the launch sales of every previous Animal Crossing game--including spin-offs like Happy Home Designer--combined. Although exact numbers are not given for individual games, New Horizons led in a week where 475,000 physical games were sold.

It's worth noting that these figures do not include digital sales at all, which likely drive New Horizons' total sales much, much higher.

This is even more significant when you factor in the current COVID-19 pandemic--considering the importance of self-isolation, one would expect a higher number of download sales than physical. It's also possible that people who would usually hold back on purchasing straight away hurried out to get it at launch, knowing that shops would shut.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons outsold Doom Eternal in its first week, so it seems like people are prioritizing an island getaway over conquering Hell in these hard times. Here's the entire UK top 10 for the week ending March 21:

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. Doom Eternal
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
4. FIFA 20
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
6. Grand Theft Auto V
7. Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy
8. Forza Horizon 4
9. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
10. Red Dead Redemption 2

If you've picked up Animal Crossing: New Horizons, be sure to check out our essential tips for playing the game.