The Nintendo Switch Refuses To Retire, And The PS2 Should Probably Be Nervous
Overview & Key Takeaways
While all eyes are on the Switch 2 console following the release of Nintendo's financial results briefing today, its predecessor has continued to cement itself as Nintendo's best-selling console of all time with 155.92 million consoles sold as of March 31, 2026. That puts the Switch within spitting distance of Sony's PlayStation 2--currently the best-selling console of all time, with 160 million units sold as of March 31, 2024.
To put all of this into perspective, 19.86 million Switch 2 consoles have been sold as of March 31, and the Switch has long surpassed the 154 million lifetime sales of the Nintendo DS. Nintendo is predicting that it'll sell fewer Switch 2 consoles in its second year on the market--around 16.5 million units according to its estimates--due to a wide variety of global factors.
Sony's PS2 figure was revised back in 2024 when the Nintendo console began closing the distance. The sales record stood at 155 million PS2s sold to 143.42 million Switch consoles sold in August that year, with the number eventually being revised after the final PS2 unit was manufactured.
While all eyes are on the Switch 2 console following the release of Nintendo's financial results briefing today, its predecessor has continued to cement itself as Nintendo's best-selling console of all time with 155.92 million consoles sold as of March 31, 2026. That puts the Switch within spitting distance of Sony's PlayStation 2--currently the best-selling console of all time, with 160 million units sold as of March 31, 2024.
To put all of this into perspective, 19.86 million Switch 2 consoles have been sold as of March 31, and the Switch has long surpassed the 154 million lifetime sales of the Nintendo DS. Nintendo is predicting that it'll sell fewer Switch 2 consoles in its second year on the market--around 16.5 million units according to its estimates--due to a wide variety of global factors.
Sony's PS2 figure was revised back in 2024 when the Nintendo console began closing the distance. The sales record stood at 155 million PS2s sold to 143.42 million Switch consoles sold in August that year, with the number eventually being revised after the final PS2 unit was manufactured.
