Nintendo Switch closes in on 20 million sales, as Mario leads the charge

By Gabe Gurwin Updated March 15, 2021

Nintendo Switch review — Nate Barrett/Digital Trends

The Nintendo Switch has been out for well over a year now, and the system is quickly approaching a new sales milestone. In Nintendo’s latest quarterly financial report, the company revealed the Switch has sold nearly 20 million units.

According to information posted on Nintendo’s investor website, the Switch managed to move just under 1.9 million units between April and June of 2018. This is slightly less than it managed to sell during the same period in 2017, but that was just after the system had launched and it was routinely selling out of online and offline retailers’ stocks.

To date, the Switch has sold roughly 19.6 million units. This is more than 6 million above the lifetime sales of the Wii U, and assuming the Switch has a similarly successful quarter from July to September, it could very well pass the GameCube’s lifetime figure, as well.

It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, but mustachioed plumber Mario is leading the charge on the software front. Super Mario Odyssey is the best-selling game on the Switch, with more than 11 million copies sold, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold more than 10 million copies. The latter game has passed the total sales figure of the original Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, which has sold under 8.5 million units to date.

Some of Nintendo’s more recent Switch games have also sold well. Mario Tennis Aces released in June and has already topped 1.3 million units sold, while the Wii U port Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has passed 1.4 million. Total sales numbers for the Wii U version aren’t on Nintendo’s website, but it isn’t one of the 10 best-selling games on the platform.

We’ll likely see the Switch continue to sell well through the end of 2018, as it continues to receive strong software support. Earlier in July, Square Enix released the role-playing game Octopath Traveler to great reviews, and later this year we’ll get Pokémon Let’s Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The latter game will likely soar to near the top of the sales charts, and its fans-first approach should make it a hit with the competitive scene. A special GameCube-style controller is even being produced by accessories company Hori to give longtime fans that classic controller feeling while they destroy their friendships.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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