Switch 2 Best-Seller as Sales Tops 6M LT - Japan Hardware Estimates for May 2026 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted 1 day ago / 5,763 Views
The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling console in Japan with 634,804 units sold for May 2026, according to VGChartz estimates. The Nintendo Switch 2 has now sold an estimated 6.03 million units lifetime.
The Nintendo Switch 1 sold an estimated 58,714 units to bring its lifetime sales to 36.92 million units. The PlayStation 5 sold an estimated 39,010 units to bring its lifetime sales to 7.58 million units. The Xbox Series X|S sold 2,479 units to bring their lifetime sales to 0.70 million units.
Switch 2 sales compared to the same month for the Switch 1 in 2018 are up by nearly 475,000 units as the Switch 1 sold 160,159 units in Japan in May 2018.
PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2019 are down by nearly 15,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are up by nearly 2,000 units. PS4 sold 53,743 units for the month of May 2019 and Xbox One sales were at 630 units.
Nintendo Switch 1 sales compared to the same month a year ago are down by 40,047 units (-40.6%). PlayStation 5 sales are up by 1,805 (4.9%) and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 1,232 units (-43.4%).
Looking at sales month-on-month, Nintendo Switch 2 sales are down by nearly 207 units, Nintendo Switch 1 sales are up by over 1,000 units, PlayStation 5 sales are down by over 33,000 units, and Xbox Series X|S sales are flat.
2026 year-to-date, the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold an estimated 1.92 million units, the Nintendo Switch 1 has sold 0.42 million units, the PlayStation 5 has sold 0.25 million units, and the Xbox Series X|S has sold 0.01 million units.
Monthly Sales:
Japan hardware estimates for May 2026 (Followed by lifetime sales):
- Switch 2 - 634,804 (6,026,641)
- Switch 1 - 58,714 (36,920,913)
- PlayStation 5 - 39,010 (7,582,576)
- Xbox Series X|S - 2,479 (702,347)
Weekly Sales:
Japan May 9, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 126,349
- Switch 1 - 21,499
- PlayStation 5 - 12,653
- Xbox Series X|S - 317
Japan May 16, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 222,639
- Switch 1 - 21,435
- PlayStation 5 - 9,261
- Xbox Series X|S - 434
Japan May 23, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 252,795
- Switch 1 - 9,557
- PlayStation 5 - 8,698
- Xbox Series X|S - 890
Japan May 30, 2026 hardware estimates:
- Switch 2 - 33,021
- PlayStation 5 - 8,398
- Switch 1 - 6,223
- Xbox Series X|S - 838
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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I am aware that Switch 2 sales are at an all time low in Japan after the price hikes, but after that enormous May and with new releases coming, I think it's pretty safe to assume that the Switch 2 will quite easily surpass the PS5 in less than one and a half year. Considering that it took 2 years and 2 months for the Switch 1 to do it to the PS4 and that the PS5 had one more year than its predecessor in the market when Nintendo released its console, I think its pretty safe to say that the Switch 2 is in a great position.
It also passed the Saturn, Vita, and N64 in the last month. PS5 is next on the list.
Japan is a nitch market for video games. The west is where you must dominate which Playstations has on lock down. The release of GOW Laufey, Wolverine and GTA6 will take PS5 to all time highs.
Why did the Switch outsell the PS5 easily in the west, then?
The japanese market is only niche to Sony because it was abandoned by Sony. Simple as that.
Not if your cheapest console costs 600€ (690$). Europe is very price sensitive.
NS1 sold 37 Million consoles... and you say Japan is a nitch market for video games?
That's hilarious lol
