The new hardware from Nintendo has gotten off to a flying start, setting a new record in another important market with the Switch 2.

It has had an incredible launch, selling 3.5 million units in just four days, as we reported, and selling twice as fast as the original Nintendo Switch did back in 2017. Adding to this success, Circana (formerly the NPD Group) analyst and managing director Mat Piscatella reported that the Switch 2 set a new record for initial weekly sales in the U.S., with 1.1 million units sold in its first week, surpassing the previous record set by the PlayStation 4.

Piscatella also reported that 79% of Switch 2 buyers purchased Mario Kart World during the launch week. Players could have purchased the game either as part of a bundle (Nintendo bundled it with the console) or separately. The next two best-selling Switch 2 games behind Mario Kart World were Cyberpunk 2077 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, although the latter was already available on the original Switch.

The release of the Switch 2 was expected to be the biggest event of the year, at least in terms of hardware. In terms of software, the release of Grand Theft Auto VI was supposed to be the biggest event, but Rockstar and Take-Two pushed the release to May 2026. It will be interesting to see how well sales keep pace for the rest of the year and if the Switch 2 will set more records by the end of 2025. However, this could be affected by the trade war between the US and China, which could increase the console’s price.

While no one expected the Nintendo Switch 2 to do so well, it’s not entirely unexpected.

Source: WCCFTech, Bsky