The Switch has finally surpassed the DS in lifetime sales, making it Nintendo's best-selling console ever. In the Japanese gaming giant's latest earnings report, Nintendo confirmed that as of December 31st, 2025, the Switch has sold 155.37 million units since its launch in 2017, compared to the 2004-released DS' 154.02 million units.

In November, the Switch and the DS were close in total lifetime sales, but the DS has since overtaken the dual-screen handheld. With this in mind, despite the Switch 2's release a few months ago, the original Switch continues to sell well. In the past, Nintendo has said that it will continue to sell the original Switch "while taking consumer demand and the business environment into consideration." This means that as long as the Switch continues to ship units, Nintendo has no plans to pull its original home console-handheld hybrid from store shelves.

The Switch 2 has already outsold the ill-fated Wii U

The Switch's successor experienced notable sales growth compared to last quarter

The Switch 2 also sold well over the holidays, with Nintendo reporting 7.01 million units sold between October and December, an increase of 4.54 million from the previous quarter. In total, the Switch 2 has sold 17.37 million units since its June 2025 launch, easily surpassing the Wii U's 13.7 million lifetime sales.

Nintendo still has a long way to go if it wants to leapfrog the PlayStation 2 as the best-selling video game console of all time. Sony's successor to the original PlayStation has sold more than 160 million units since its 2000 release. The PlayStation 2 was discontinued in January 2013, 13 years ago.

Looking at the next few months of first-party game releases, Mario Tennis Fever and Pokémon Pokopia are looming close on the horizon.