Switch 2 Continues to Dominate - Japan Hardware Estimates for January 2026 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 18 February 2026 / 8,983 Views
The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling console in Japan with 315,816 units sold for January 2026, according to VGChartz estimates. The Nintendo Switch 2 has now sold an estimated 4.42 million units lifetime.
The Nintendo Switch 1 sold an estimated 75,012 units to bring its lifetime sales to 36.58 million units. The PlayStation 5 sold an estimated 42,929 units to bring its lifetime sales to 7.37 million units. The Xbox Series X|S sold 1,711 units to bring their lifetime sales to 0.69 million units.
Switch 2 sales compared to the same month for the Switch 1 in 2018 are up by nearly 30,000 units as the Switch 1 sold 286,202 units in Japan in January 2018.
PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2019 are down by over 163,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are up by over 1,000 units. PS4 sold 206,283 units for the month of January 2019 and Xbox One sales were at 459 units.
Nintendo Switch 1 sales compared to the same month a year ago are down by 120,104 units (-61.6%). PlayStation 5 sales are down by 4,879 (-10.2%) and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 4,125 units (-70.7%).
Looking at sales month-on-month, Nintendo Switch 2 sales are down by nearly 767,000 units, Nintendo Switch 1 sales are down by over 109,000 units, PlayStation 5 sales are down by nearly 71,000 units, and Xbox Series X|S sales are up by over 600 units.
Monthly Sales:
Japan hardware estimates for January 2026 (Followed by lifetime sales):
- Switch 2 - 315,816 (4,418,136)
- Switch 1 - 75,012 (36,575,495)
- PlayStation 5 - 42,929 (7,374,810)
- Xbox Series X|S - 1,711 (692,020)
Weekly Sales:
Japan January 10, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 98,786
- Switch 1 - 19,512
- PlayStation 5 - 12,170
- Xbox Series X|S - 179
Japan January 17, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 70,547
- Switch 1 - 27,261
- PlayStation 5 - 9,998
- Xbox Series X|S - 306
Japan January 24, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 74,109
- Switch 1 - 17,536
- PlayStation 5 - 9,780
- Xbox Series X|S - 697
Japan January 31, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 72,374
- PlayStation 5 - 10,981
- Switch 1 - 10,703
- Xbox Series X|S - 529
VGChartz Methodology: Hardware estimates are based on retail sampling and trends in individual countries, which are then extrapolated to represent the wider region. This typically allows us to produce figures that end up being within 10% of the actual totals.
This data is regularly compared against official shipment figures released by the console manufacturers and figures estimated by regional trackers with greater market coverage than ourselves. We then update our own estimates to bring them into line with those figures. This can result in frequent changes often within a short space of time, but we feel it's important to prioritise accuracy over consistency.
Note that our estimates are based on sell-through data (units sold to consumers). In almost all cases the figures released by console manufacturers are based on shipment data (sell-in), where as soon as a device has left the factory and entered the supply chain for delivery it is considered a sale. This is why there is always a difference between the companies’ figures (sell-in) and VGChartz estimates (sell-through), even after we’ve made adjustments. The one exception to that is when a console has been discontinued and the remaining stock has finally sold out – at that point the figures will match.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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heavy hitters still to come
Japan is Nintendoland right. People don't remember but Sony used to dominate during the PS1 and PS2 there. The PS3 almost outsold the Wii.
But since the leadership changes and the closing of Japan Studios, Nintendo has about 80% of the market.
Looking at the ROW data that got uploaded with the Japan numbers, it looks like PS5 outsold Switch 2 in ROW by over 3:1 this month. 211, 193 for PS5 and 68,044 for Switch 2. That's pretty dominant right there, why is there no article for ROW showing that?
Because Japan gives us official numbers for a start and there's no ROW part for the figures on VGchartz. You have Americas, Europe, Japan and worldwide. This is obviously the reason why.
lol I understand that there is no ROW part for the figures but I was here before you on this site and ROW was part of WW numbers. It was updated to remove that column years ago on the front page so don't try to tell me obvious things about this site. It's still part of the WW numbers regardless for platform totals and really shouldn't be hidden behind the chart table. Also, there's no official numbers for all of Europe either. Spain will give out numbers once in awhile but there's no official numbers for Europe as a whole. That's why it doesn't come out until after NPD since they will use an % and algorithm based on the US data and adjust YoY % if they get any data at the end of the year from sources like Nintendo France or Christopher Dring. All in all, i was just having fun with the use of the word dominate for one region when numbers get updated at the same time showing dominate for the other. But thanks for trying to educate me..
Where can I find the ROTW numbers please?
On the main page, hover over "Charts" at the top and click "Hardware" across from Latest Charts. It will load a graph screen, in the drop downs, switch it from weekly to monthly. Then hover on the lower right of the graph on the "Jan 2026" corner. You will have a pop up of all platforms and the current uploaded numbers thus far and that is Japan and ROW combined. Subtract the Japan numbers from that total and you have the ROW numbers.
ROW is the most uncertain numbers out of the different parts of the world. It's not a definite area like Japan, USA or Europe. A problem that comes from that is that ROW doesn't means the same thing in terms of market reach between the main 3 console makers so it makes less sense to directly compare them from one another
