Nintendo Switch Sold 4.804 Million Units in Japan Last Year
Posted on January 12 2023 by Rod Lloyd

Nintendo Switch’s world domination continues! Japanese publication Famitsu has published their annual sales report for video game hardware and software in Japan, and, wouldn’t you know it, the Nintendo Switch led the pack as the highest-selling piece of hardware last year. With a four-to-one lead over the second-best, Sony’s PlayStation 5, the Switch family of consoles sold over 4.804 million units in Japan in 2022. This total adds to the Switch’s over 27.724 million lifetime sales in the country.
Here were Japan’s five best-selling consoles, as reported by Famitsu:
Hardware 2022:
This year | LTD | |
Nintendo Switch | 4,804,549 | 27,724,047 |
PlayStation 5 | 1,154,054 | 2,377,389 |
Xbox Series X/S | 269,737 | 398,395 |
PlayStation 4 | 22,823 | 9,417,767 |
Nintendo 3DS | 10,449 | 24,597,897 |
As of November 2022, the Nintendo Switch family of consoles has sold over 114 million units worldwide.
Famitsu also reported Japan’s ten best-selling physical software releases of 2022, and — surprise, surprise — Nintendo Switch captured nine spots.
Here were the top best-selling games of 2022 in Japan, with lifetime sales numbers where applicable:
Boxed Software 2022:
- [NSW] Pokemon Scarlet / Violet – 4,338,931 / 4,338,931
- [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 3,687,814 / 3,687,814
- [NSW] Pokemon Legends: Arceus – 2,314,806 / 2,314,806
- [NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 969,047 / 969,047
- [NSW] Nintendo Switch Sports – 887,722 / 887,722
- [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 742,018 / 5,014,375
- [NSW] Minecraft – 548,415 / 2,960,006
- [NSW] Mario Party Superstars – 485,594 / 1,114,132
- [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 441,053 / 5,065,191
- [PS4] Elden Ring – 356,711 / 356,711
There is a noticeable lack of Zelda titles within 2022’s Top 10, but we’re fairly certain that Tears of the Kingdom will land high on 2023’s list come this time next year.
What do you make of these numbers? Are you surprised? Will Switch keep the streak going for years to come? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Famitsu (via My Nintendo News)

Rod Lloyd is the managing editor at Zelda Dungeon, primarily overseeing the news and feature content of the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a junior editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the managing editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net