Switch 2 Is the Second Fastest-Selling Console in US History
The Nintendo Switch 2 became the second fastest-selling video game console in U.S. history during its first 12 months on sale, according to Circana’s May 2026 market report. The ranking, confirmed by Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella, showed Switch 2’s sales trailed only the Game Boy Advance’s 6.5 million units sold in its first year.
The only console to surpass this total was Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance, which sold 6.5 million units in its first year on the market, Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella confirmed to IGN. Circana, the primary U.S. retail and digital market-tracking firm that absorbed the former NPD Group, bases its rankings on tracked sales history dating back to 1995.
Switch 2 sold 5.9 million units in the U.S. during its first 12 months, making it the second fastest-selling video game console in the country’s history, according to Circana’s May 2026 market report.
Switch 2 set multiple sales records during its launch and early months. In June 2025, the console sold 1.6 million units in the U.S., breaking the previous launch-month record of 1.1 million units held by Sony’s PlayStation 4 in November 2013, according to reports from Bloomberg, IGN, and KitGuru. By the end of 2025, after seven months on sale, Switch 2 had reached 4.4 million units sold in the U.S., which Piscatella described as the fastest-selling video game hardware platform in tracked history for that time frame. Nintendo Life and Video Games Chronicle highlighted this figure as a record for a home-console launch, distinguishing it from handheld consoles like the Game Boy Advance.
Despite holding the fastest launch-month and seven-month sales records, Switch 2’s overall 12-month U.S. sales fell short of the Game Boy Advance’s 6.5 million units, which placed it second in the full-year ranking. Eurogamer, IGN, and ComicBook all cited Circana data to confirm this hierarchy, noting that Switch 2’s 5.9 million units sold were the highest for any console besides the Game Boy Advance within the tracked period. This ranking includes all major hardware types and reflects a clear numeric comparison of first-year sales.
Nintendo’s corporate statements emphasize Switch 2’s global success, reporting more than 3.5 million units sold worldwide within the first four days after its June 5, 2025, launch. The company calls it “the fastest-selling Nintendo game system ever” on a global scale. IGN noted that while Nintendo positions Switch 2 as its fastest-selling hardware worldwide, Circana’s U.S.-specific data places it second over a full year, illustrating the distinction between global corporate claims and country-specific market tracking.
Switch 2’s strong sales performance has had a notable impact on the U.S. hardware market. Eurogamer reported that Switch 2 was the best-selling console in the U.S. in May 2026, outperforming the PlayStation 5 and contributing to a year-over-year increase in hardware spending of more than one-third. IGN confirmed that Switch 2 led in both units sold and revenue for May 2026 and year-to-date 2026, with the PlayStation 5 ranking second in both categories. Earlier Circana reports indicated that total game hardware and accessory sales approached $5.7 billion in June 2025, driven in large part by Switch 2’s launch. This growth occurred even as PlayStation 5 and Xbox hardware sales weakened, with PS5 recording its worst May sales in decades and Xbox its worst May ever, according to Circana data.
Circana’s methodology aggregates hardware unit sales and revenue across major U.S. retailers and digital channels. This approach has long been the industry standard for comparing console sales in the U.S. The firm’s data shows that Switch 2 holds the fastest-selling record for a launch month and for the first seven months on sale, as well as the fastest home-console launch record. However, when considering the first full year of sales across all hardware types, Switch 2 ranks second behind the Game Boy Advance.
This distinction between launch-period records and full-year rankings clarifies the different uses of “fastest-selling” and “second fastest-selling” in industry reporting. Nintendo Life and other sources emphasize Switch 2’s home-console launch records, while Piscatella and IGN note the overall first-year sales comparison that places the Game Boy Advance first when handhelds are included. The Circana data, supported by multiple outlets, establishes a consistent understanding of Switch 2’s sales performance within the U.S. market and its role in shaping hardware spending trends during 2025 and 2026.
