Sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 during its first holiday season have dropped by 35% compared to the sales of its predecessor, the original Nintendo Switch, in the same period of 2017.
This is revealed by an analysis of sales conducted by Chris Dring from The Game Business, who reports that in the United Kingdom, sales of the new console during the last eight weeks of 2025 were 16% lower than those of the previous model in its launch year.
Despite these figures, the Nintendo Switch 2 has achieved total sales 6% higher than those reached by the original in its first year globally.
Despite everything, the console is selling better than ever
An employee of Nintendo has attributed this slowdown to a “complicated economic landscape” and the fact that no major Western game has been released to generate enough interest among consumers.
The lack of flagship titles that can attract a wide audience has been pointed out as another critical factor for sales performance. While titles like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Donkey Kong Bananza have been released, fans have expressed their disappointment at the absence of major franchises like Super Mario 3D or Animal Crossing, which could have incentivized the purchase of the console.
Moreover, the higher prices of both hardware and software seem to have discouraged casual gamers, who could have been an important segment of the market. The current situation, combined with the lack of an appealing year-end launch, has led to an environment where consumers are more cautious when it comes to purchasing Nintendo’s new console.
With this data, it is clear that although the Nintendo Switch 2 has had an attractive debut, economic challenges and the lack of major impact titles have affected its sales in its first Christmas.