The Switch has been hugely successful for Nintendo since its release in 2017. Indeed, Nintendo have managed to shift a huge 79.87 million units. This is the highest volume since the Wii which sold 101.63 million units. The Switch has no doubt been helped by the 2020 lockdowns which saw people stuck at home needing things to do. This period saw huge popularity for exclusive titles such as Animal Crossing and Pokemon. Additionally, there are several more massive exclusives on the horizon which will help sales even more. These include new Pokemon games announced at the Pokemon anniversary event and the latest Zelda. The success of the Switch has been clear for all to see. As such, now is a great time to look at the Top Nintendo Switch Games by Total Sales that have been published by Nintendo.
Top Nintendo Switch Games by Total Sales
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Part of the hugely popular Mario Kart series, this title has been a phenomenal success. Since its release in 2017, the game has now sold 33.41 million units! This puts it firmly in the lead as the top selling Nintendo published game on the Switch. This game is actually the 9th Mario Kart to be released and is an upgraded version of Mario Kart 8 which was available on the Wii U. However, it should be considered in its own right. The remaster brings a huge graphics upgrade, several new maps, a very competitive online scene and numerous new customization options for your racer. It’s so good, One Chilled Gamer featured it in our list of the best Mario Kart games ever!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
In at number 2 is probably the biggest success of 2020. This game really caught people’s imagination while we were all stuck at home. It brought some much needed escapism and a fun way for people to keep up with their friends in a relaxed manner. Indeed, even celebrities started getting in on the action. Since its release in March 2020, the game has now sold an incredible 31.18 million units in just one year! With many new fans to the series, it is worth pointing out that New Horizons is actually the 5th title in the series. The original was released way back in 2001 and has also spawned a few spin-off titles. However, none have come anywhere near the success of New Horizons. The closest was the 2012 release, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which sold 12.82 million units.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Smashing in at number 3 is the 5th release from the legendary Super Smash Bros series – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! For many of us, this game will bring back great memories of sitting around a Nintendo 64 or a GameCube with a group of friends and duking it out in epic melee battles. Like previous titles in this list, the release for the Switch has been by far the most successful in the series with 22.85 million units sold. The 2008 version for the Wii gets the closest with 13.32 million units sold.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Number 4 on the list is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here at One Chilled Gamer, we are surprised this game is not higher up the list. Given the incredible reviews this has received we’d have expected it to be in the top 3. Though, I guess, number 4 is not a bad position at all given the tough competition! Breath of the Wild has now sold 21.45 million units since its release in 2017. There is also a highly anticipated sequel in the works which many predict will be released towards the end of 2021. Will be very interesting to see how its sales stack up vs. Breath of the Wild.
Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield
Squeezing into the top 5 is another big beneficiary of the 2020 gaming boom – Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield. Despite generally disappointing fans with a short and pedestrian story, this game has sold 20.35 million units since its release at the end of 2019. This release has not only been a success in terms of Switch sales – but it is also the 3rd bestselling Pokemon game ever. The appetite for these games does not appear to be waning, with a further 3 new games in the pipeline to be released in the coming couple of years. Pokemon has certainly captured the imagination of generations of gamers and has a fascinating origin story to boot.
The Complete List of Top Nintendo Switch Games
Nintendo have released a huge amount of exclusive Switch titles and the top 20 by total sales is littered with some absolute classics. However, there are a few surprises in terms of how low down some of the games are in this list. Indeed, given the huge popularity of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it is surprising to see Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit way down the list at number 20 with only 1.08 million sales. I guess the augmented reality idea has not quite caught on for Mario Kart yet. Additionally, Luigi’s Mansion 3 which was released to critical acclaim is only at number 10 in the list with 9.13 million sales. Again, One Chilled Gamer would have expected this to place much higher. Check out the full list below.
Let us know what you think of this list of the Top Nintendo Switch Games by Total Sales in the comments below. Are you surprised by any of the placings?
Love that the Switch is doing so well, some fantastic games in that list especially BOTW and Animal Crossing, and with the recently released Monster Hunter Rise plus all the fantastic indie titles and retro classics, I think this has become my favourite console since Sega’s superlative Dreamcast!
Yeh I’m a huge fan of the Switch. Pretty much all these games have outsold all other titles in their series from previous generations, it’s great to see!
Excellent writing once again