Switch 2 vs Switch 1 Sales Comparison - May 2026 - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 09 July 2026 / 11,152 Views
The VGChartz sales comparison series of articles are updated monthly and each one focuses on a different sales comparison using our estimated video game hardware figures. The charts include comparisons between the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, as well as with older platforms. There are articles based on our worldwide estimates, as well as the US, Europe, and Japan.
This monthly series compares the aligned worldwide sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch 1.
The Nintendo Switch 2 launched in June 2025 and the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017. This does mean the holiday periods for the two consoles do not lineup.
Switch 2 Vs. Switch 1 Worldwide:
Gap change in latest month: 429,948 - Switch 2
Total Lead: 5,864,771 - Switch 2
Switch 2 Total Sales: 20,758,012
Switch 1 Total Sales: 14,893,241
May 2026 is the 12th month the Nintendo Switch 2 has been available for. During the latest month, the Switch 2 has outsold the Switch 1 by 429,948 units when you align the launches. The Switch 2 is ahead of the Switch 1 by 5.86 million units.
The 12th month for the Switch 2 is May 2026, while for the Switch 1 it is February 2018. The Switch 2 has sold 20.76 million units, while the Switch 1 sold 14.89 million units during the same timeframe.
The Nintendo Switch 1 has sold 154.81 million units to date. The Switch 2 is currently 134.05 million units behind the lifetime sales of the Switch 1.
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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Numbers pushed up by Japan's rush to buy the Switch before the price hike, so next months the Switch 1 will probably catch up a bit again.
Maybe but it seems doubtful... The initial dip seems to be due to the misalignment of the holiday periods for NS1 and NS2
This is likely a return to normalcy with a small bump from Japan sales
With a bit, I mean just 100k-200k a month for 2-3 months until the sales go up again in Japan and both being at level again.
And in September when the price increase goes into effect for Switch 2, we'll see how long it can maintain its lead going into the next year. With everything going up again in 2027, Switch 2 might even get another price hike too.
I'm not surprised it's selling well given the fact people thought Mario Kart World wasn't a system seller but even if Nintendo had a new main series Mario or Zleda ready Mario Kart will sell since it's very easy to jump in and play and thr casual gamers bring in the dough
Switch 2 is looking good. It will finish this year still in the lead.
While the Switch 2's adoption rate currently far exceeds that of the Switch 1, this graph suggests that it will be difficult to surpass the Switch, NDS and PS2's lifetime sales unless it has several years in which annual sales exceed 20 million units.
Let's see what happens.
