Nintendo Switch 2 Will Become The ‘Fastest-Selling Console Ever'

Forbes

15-05-2025

The Nintendo Switch 2 is poised to become the world's fastest selling console of all time.
I finally secured a Nintendo Switch 2 today — my first console pre-order since the Xbox Series X — because it feels like a sound investment. Greater confidence in the system may help it set a new record too: the Switch 2 has been projected to become the fastest-selling video game console of all time.
In its second advisory issued today (May 15), just three weeks before the hardware's global launch on June 5, leading gaming market analyst DFC Intelligence forecasts that 16 million Switch 2 units will be sold in 2025 alone. This increase from DFC's previous projection of 15 million units in April has been attributed to growing confidence in Nintendo's supply chain, which had previously faced concerns relating to ongoing tariffs.
Nintendo could sell even more if it wanted to, but DFC believes the company will remain true to past form. While demand could support up to 20 million sales in the first year, Nintendo will stay characteristically cautious with inventory management, as it has been with previous console launch strategies.
The internal sales target at Nintendo is more conservative yet still confident, forecasting 15 million units sold through the end of March 2026. When the original Switch launched in 2017, Nintendo initially projected 10 million units for the fiscal year but ultimately sold 15 million; it outsold the GameCube within 18 months of launch.
Looking further ahead, DFC believes the Switch 2 will shift 100 million units by the end of 2029, making it the dominant console platform in the next hardware cycle. It's no surprise, especially for an Xbox primary like me; even if the rumored Xbox 'Project Kennan' handheld proves to be a five-star experience, it won't prevent Nintendo from maintaining its position as the leader in the handheld-console hybrid market and becoming an even more central player in the gaming ecosystem, especially if Microsoft decides against creating a direct successor to the X/S.
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David Cole, the founder and CEO of DFC Intelligence, says: 'With the portable nature of the Switch platform, Nintendo has expanded the audience for console game systems. The Switch 2 represents a further evolution because major third-party publishers will be on board from the start.
'Nintendo is directly going after the PlayStation and Xbox audience, and it will likely be some time before Sony and Microsoft can respond.'
In DFC's eyes, the Switch 2 is a source of positivity in a gaming market that faces an uncertain next 12 months. On a global scale, overall console sales are projected to grow by 3% in 2025, driven solely by Nintendo's next system.
Much of this relates to the delayed release of Grand Theft Auto VI, now pushed back to May 2026. DFC indicates that this dampens industry expectations for the year. However, the Switch 2 presents a bright spot, mitigating the impact of GTA VI's delay, as it will decrease hardware and software sales for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Rockstar's postponement is particularly disappointing for the Christmas season, a time when society traditionally purchases the latest Mature-rated games for underaged family members.
The delay of 'Grand Theft Auto VI' to 2026 has had a negative effect on the industry's fortunes, but ... More the Switch 2 is taking the edge off.
GTA 6's delay may, however, primarily impact the North American market. DFC anticipates a 2% drop in console software revenue on the continent in 2025, while Europe is expected to remain flat over the year. Japan will see a significant 25% surge in console software revenue, fueled by Switch 2 excitement and its competitive pricing in the region.
If you're still trying to secure your own Switch 2, good luck; until today, my experience of online pre-orders have been the digital equivalent of those fight-based dust clouds you see in Andy Capp cartoons.