Nintendo Switch 2 Charts: Donkey Kong Bananza Debuts Strong, Mario Kart World Retains Top Spot in Japan

Nintendo has once again cemented its dominance in the latest Japanese boxed charts, according to sales data published by Famitsu, with several first-party titles claiming key positions and the Nintendo Switch 2 continuing its hardware sales momentum. During the sales week of July 14th to July 20th, the standout new release, Donkey Kong Bananza, made a notable debut.

The game moved an impressive 127,905 physical copies on the Switch 2, a testament to the enduring appeal of the Donkey Kong franchise.

However, Mario Kart World, the flagship launch title for Switch 2, maintained its commanding hold on the top spot, selling 135,370 units during the same period.

Donkey Kong Bananza’s numbers are particularly remarkable given the game had limited availability for part of the sales week, suggesting it may chart even higher in the weeks ahead. For historical comparison, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze debuted on the Nintendo Switch with 88,421 physical sales, and initially sold 35,717 units on the Wii U.

The robust performance of Bananza highlights both Nintendo’s strong brand presence and the healthy demand for new content on the Switch 2 ecosystem. In a brief statement to Famitsu, a Nintendo representative emphasized the company’s commitment to delivering engaging content for its fans, underlining the positive customer response to recent releases reflected in the latest sales charts. The only other new title to break into Japan’s top ten boxed games this week was Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact, a fighting game adaptation of the popular manga and anime.

Despite its strong brand pedigree, the title saw modest sales on Switch, shifting 3,174 physical units, while versions for other platforms did not rank within the top ten. Longstanding favorites continue to show resilience in the market.

Titles like Tamagotchi Plaza, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons all ranked in the top five, underscoring the longevity of Nintendo’s key franchises.

Notably, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing have each achieved multi-million unit milestones, with the latter surpassing 8.1 million lifetime sales in Japan alone. On the hardware front, the Switch 2 remains in high demand.

The console sold 152,165 units for the week—over 20,000 more than the previous week—fuelled in part by the launch of Donkey Kong Bananza.

This brings total lifetime Switch 2 sales in Japan to nearly 1.75 million. Elsewhere in the hardware charts, Nintendo’s Switch OLED and Switch Lite models outperformed Sony’s PlayStation 5 consoles, with OLED shifting 5,207 units and Lite selling 4,276.

The base Switch model continued to contribute, while PlayStation and Xbox hardware saw comparatively lower numbers during the same week. The Nintendo Switch hardware family has now exceeded 20.1 million lifetime sales in Japan, according to Famitsu, reflecting the company’s continued dominance in the home console market.

As Nintendo continues to release major titles for the Switch 2, experts anticipate its strong momentum will persist through 2024 and beyond.

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