The Nintendo Switch is climbing the hardware rankings after the post-September numbers showed that the hybrid console continues to be a massive success.
With big games like Astral Chain, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening bookending several strong months for Nintendo, the Switch got a nice boost in sales after a slow start to the year. Those titles, along with the Switch Lite launching in September, pushed the total for the console up to 41.67 million total units sold.
Overall, this has moved the Switch past the Xbox One (41 million units) after just two and a half years on the market, which is a huge success for the company. After the massive failure of the Wii U, the Switch has helped put Nintendo back on gaming’s mainstage.
The Switch Lite turned the Switch brand into a family of consoles for the first time and has been selling very well. Releasing alongside Link’s Awakening on Sept. 20, the second console model sold 1.95 million units in just 10 days.
Sales for the Switch Lite are going to be important to watch as the year goes on, especially with the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield looming. That will not only be the first special edition for the Lite, but it also is a game that will likely sell more Switch consoles than any other game before it.
According to a compiled list of sales figures for every major console, the Switch is just 8 million units away from passing the SNES and breaking into the top three Nintendo consoles of all time, if you don’t count the handhelds. There is a very strong chance this happens before the end of the year as parents can buy a cheaper Switch as a holiday present.
Luigi’s Mansion 3, Overwatch, and The Witcher 3 probably won’t push the October sales numbers up a crazy amount for the month, but it should keep the flow steady heading into November.
