Nintendo Switch becomes fifth console to surpass 100 million units sold

The Nintendo Switch sold over 100 million units of the console, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Thus, Switch is included in the elite list of the most popular game consoles of all time – along with other members of the list from Sony and Nintendo itself. The console passed the 100 million mark sometime in December 2021 and the console has reportedly sold over 24 million units in the latest quarter.

Nintendo Switch takes 5th place in the elite list

According to the company, the regular version of the Nintendo Switch remains the most popular of the entire Switch lineup, accounting for nearly 80 percent of all Switch devices ever sold. Later models, the Switch Lite and Switch OLED, sold a total of 21.86 million Switch units – up from 103.54 million Switch units sold to date.

In terms of the most popular video game consoles of all time, Nintendo was the first to break the $100 million mark with its Game Boy line. Introduced in 1989, the Nintendo Game Boy is reported to have sold over 119 million units. The first unique console to reach this milestone was Sony’s first generation PlayStation, which apparently sold around 103 million units. The best-selling game console of all time to date is the PlayStation 2, which also remains the only game console to have sold over 150 million units over its life cycle.

In terms of the console family, the Nintendo DS line has surpassed the 150 million units offered in that line. However, this sales data is spread across the entire Nintendo DS line, so it is not considered the only console model to break the high sales figure. However, the Nintendo Wii is considered one of the best-selling consoles of all time, with approximately 102 million units sold.

The PlayStation 4 has sold over 116 million units so far, making it the fourth console after PS, PS2 and Wii to join the elite range. This makes the Switch the fifth console ever to break the 100 million unit mark.

In terms of handheld console range, the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) is the Switch’s closest competitor, with approximately 82 million units sold during its lifetime. However, while Sony continues to dominate the home console lineup with its PlayStations, the Nintendo Switch sales milestone reflects Nintendo’s continued dominance in handheld gaming.

Among other notable console manufacturers, Microsoft’s best-selling video game console to date has been the Xbox 360, with 84 million units sold during its lifetime. Among the latest consoles, Sony’s PS5 appears to have sold 17.3 million units, while Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S line has around 12 million. Both were suffocated by supply chain shortages in the component chain around the world.