Nintendo Touts Switch Sales Success in Last Financial Report Before Switch 2 Launch

Posted on May 08 2025 by Julia Wilson

Nintendo has revealed their latest financial report for the fiscal year (FY) ending March 31st, 2025, which will be the last report to focus on the Switch as their primary console. Looking first at the updated software sales, the report highlights that Echoes of Wisdom sales have now exceeded 4 million copies. Echoes of Wisdom was the first Legend of Zelda game to feature Zelda as the main protagonist. The game launched on September 26th, 2024, selling over 2.5 million units in the first week.

Nintendo has also updated their Top Selling Title Sales Units chart, which reveals Breath of the Wild in fourth place with 32.81 million sales and Tears of the Kingdom in eighth place with 21.73 million sales. The combined sales of both open-world Legend of Zelda games now total 54.54 million, which exceeds the total 47.82 million sales of the very popular second-place title Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Top Five is rounded out by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Odyssey.

Looking into the Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, the Switch is still only second to the Nintendo DS, with 152.12 million lifetime sales against the DS’ 154.02 million units. However, Nintendo’s forecast for FY2026 shows an estimated 4.5 million sales, which would make the Switch Nintendo’s highest-selling console of all time.

The hardware sales data demonstrates that historically second-generation consoles don’t sell as well as the first iteration. For example, the Wii sold 101.63 million units, versus the Wii U at 13.56 million units. Next, the Nintendo 3DS lagged behind the DS, selling 78.08 million fewer units than its predecessor with total sales of 75.94 million. The Game Boy, which is still the third highest-selling console, sold 118.69 million units, versus the Game Boy Advance, which sold 81.51 million units. How well do you think the Switch 2 will do in comparison?

The Switch has given us an incredible legacy of games, which the Switch 2 can build on and thus enhance our gaming experiences. While Echoes of Wisdom‘s sales aren’t in the same league as Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, they do represent steady growth for a 2D game. It will be interesting to see what happens to the sales figures for the Zelda games listed above, with the launch of the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, plus the enhancements for Echoes of Wisdom and Link’s Awakening for Switch 2 playability.

When do you think Echoes of Wisdom will reach five million units? Will Breath of the Wild ever top Animal Crossing: New Horizons? And most importantly, where do you think the Switch 2 will end up in console sales? Could the Switch 2 become Nintendo’s best-selling console of all time, or will history repeat itself? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Nintendo