According to both Famitsu and GamesIndustry.biz, the Nintendo Switch sold a total of 5.3 million units in Japan for 2021. The sales data accounts for all sales between December 28th, 2020, and December 19th, 2021. It includes all three Switch models: standard, Lite, and OLED.
The report also includes figures for competing consoles.
The PlayStation 5, despite supply issues, sold nearly 1 million units. By comparison, the Xbox Series X|S only sold 95,598.
The PlayStation 4 managed to outsell the Xbox Series X|S at just over 100,000 consoles. Good news though for Xbox fans in Japan: it beat out the Nintendo 3DS, which sold 28,224 units total.
For comparison’s sake, the Nintendo Switch sold 5.1 million consoles in the same period from 2020.
It was a great year for Nintendo as it dominated sales charts throughout. The UK featured lots of Mario Kart 8, and I mean lots of it. While the game hasn’t enjoyed the same sustained success in the US, Nintendo still had two titles in the year-to-date top ten here in the US, according to NPD.
In total, Nintendo dominated the software best sellers in Japan for 2021, with every game appearing on their console. It’s no wonder why the Nintendo Switch sold like gangbusters.
According to Famitsu and GamesIndustry.biz, here are the top ten games sold in Japan:
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Pocket Monster Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa Heisei Reiwa mo Teiban!
- Super Mario World 3D + Bowser’s Fury
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Minecraft: Switch Edition
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
- Mario Party Superstars
It’s been an incredible run for the Nintendo Switch and Mario Kart 8, a.k.a. the best Mario Kart game in the franchise. I don’t know what else to say other than to check out our ranking of every single track in Mario Kart 8.
Once the NPD makes US sales figures available, we’ll be sure to let you know.
