Nintendo Switch Was The Best-Selling Console in the US for the Fifth Straight Year
Posted on January 19 2023 by Rod Lloyd
The Nintendo Switch has maintained its global sales dominance for another year. Beyond being the top-selling console in Japan in 2022, the Switch officially earned the same title in the United States, for the fifth year in a row, according to data analytics firm The NPD Group.
The Nintendo Switch led the pack in terms of total units sold in 2022, with second and third place going to Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S, respectfully. However, the PlayStation 5 did best the Switch in terms of total revenue, as reported by industry analyst Mat Piscatella.
After another strong year on both sides of the Pacific, the Nintendo Switch has, according to estimates by VGChartz, surpassed the Game Boy to become third best-selling video game platform of all time with over 118.99 million lifetime sales, behind only the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2.
The NPD Group also released physical game sales data for 2022. While last year’s list of top-selling games was dominated by multiplatform releases like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Elden Ring, and Madden NFL 23, Nintendo Switch exclusives Pokemon: Scarlet & Violet and Pokemon Legends: Arceus did crack the Top 10.
Both Pokemon titles mentioned above were the top-selling Nintendo Switch titles last year, with the rest of the Top 10 occupied by an assortment of enduring classics like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and new titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Nintendo Switch Sports.
Though Zelda failed to crack the Top 10 this year, Tears of the Kingdom will no doubt perform strongly on 2023’s list.
What do you make of these numbers? Do you think Nintendo Switch can keep the streak alive for another year? Will Tears of the Kingdom make it happen? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: The NPD Group (via Mat Piscatella, Nintendo Life)
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
