Nintendo's original Switch has officially passed the Nintendo DS to claim the company's highest lifetime sales figure, reaching 155.37 million units as of December 31, 2025. The milestone arrived after the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 last summer, as steady purchases and stock-clearance activity kept the older model selling.

  • Lifetime sales: The Switch has sold 155.37 million units, edging past the DS's long-standing total of 154.02 million.
  • Timing quirk: The record was set following the Switch 2 launch, with many original Switch units still moving through retail — in part due to inventory reductions tied to the new hardware.
  • Active player base: Nintendo reports annual active users remain above 100 million, indicating strong ongoing engagement on the platform even between console generations.
  • Switch 2 momentum: Nintendo says the Switch 2 has sold through 17.37 million units so far, including roughly 15 million in its first six months — a faster start than the original Switch saw.
  • Business impact: Nintendo frames the large, persistent audience on the legacy platform as a stabilizing factor that supported the Switch 2 rollout and broadened its market footprint during the transition.

Source: Game Informer

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