Nintendo Switch Surpasses PlayStation 2 in U.S. Sales Milestone

According to Mat Piscatella, Executive Director at Circana (formerly known as NPD) and video games industry analyst, the Nintendo Switch is now ahead of PlayStation 2’s lifetime console sales in the United States. This is an important milestone for Sony, as the PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console of all time and globally sold around 160 million units. In the U.S., though, the PS2 moved 53 million units, a number that the Nintendo Switch has now surpassed. And interestingly enough, the Nintendo DS sold more units (57 million) in the U.S. than either of those consoles. But while the DS was a handheld-only console, the Switch is a hybrid — making it a closer equivalent, by comparison, to the PS2.

Nintendo Switch Surpasses PS2 in U.S. Console Sales, Becomes a Major Milestone

Globally, the Nintendo Switch still trails the PlayStation 2. The Switch has sold nearly 146 million units as of three months ago, but its sales have been slowing recently, over the past year. That said, with the Switch 2 due out soon, the original Switch is unlikely to top PS2 in global sales.

However, the Switch is still one of Nintendo’s huge successes. Nintendo’s console history has been among the wildest rides in gaming. Following successful consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES, 61.91 million units) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES, 49.1 million units), sales fell through the floor for the Nintendo 64 (32 million units) and GameCube (21.74 million units).

The Wii was a huge success, surpassing 100 million units sold, thanks to the motion control craze. On the other hand, the Wii U was a major flop, selling just 13.5 million units. Despite past failures, Nintendo’s future looks promising with the rumored Switch 2, which is expected to carry over many of the successful elements of its predecessor. Early analyst projections are bullish about its success.

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