Nintendo Switch lifetime unit sales worldwide 2024, by region

First released worldwide in 2017, the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid handheld and home video game console produced by Nintendo. As of November 2024, it had sold nearly144 million units across the world, including over 50 million units in North America. 

Nintendo handheld consoles

In addition to a range of home consoles, Nintendo has also released various handheld consoles. The first was of this type was the original Game Boy in 1989, a device that was followed by additional iterations such as the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. In 2014, the company released the Nintendo DS, achieving over 150 million lifetime sales. Popular game titles on the DS include New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, and Mario Kart DS. Nintendo released the 3DS in 2011, a device that enables the user to view the screen in 3D without the need for special glasses. Finally, the Nintendo Switch Lite, a more affordable version of the Nintendo Switch, was released by the company in 2019.

PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo

Of the all-time video game console sales, three of the top five are Nintendo products. The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, with Nintendo’s DS and Nintendo Switch rounding out the top three. Other competitors include the Game Boy and Microsoft’s Xbox console family, although Sony has sold nearly twice as many of its PlayStation 4 console when compared to the Xbox One. This is a trend that is expected to continue with the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, with the PlayStation 5 outselling the Xbox X/S consoles since all the products were launched in late 2020. As of 2023, the Nintendo Switch console ranked second in terms of current-gen game console sales.