Nintendo Switch 2 Consolidates Lead in Japanese 2026 Sales Charts with Mario Kart World at the Summit
As the new year unfolds, Famitsu's aggregated sales data for the first two weeks of 2026 affirms Nintendo’s ongoing dominance in the Japanese gaming market.
The Nintendo Switch 2 continues to outperform all competitors, both in software and hardware, backed by the immense popularity of its flagship exclusives and established franchises. Leading the physical software sales chart for the period spanning December 29 to January 11, Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 surged to the top spot with 92,869 copies sold, bringing cumulative sales to an impressive 2,761,250 units.
Not far behind, Konami's Momotaro Dentetsu 2: Anata no Machi mo Kitto Aru – Higashi Nihon Hen + Nishi Nihon Hen held the second and third positions.
The original Nintendo Switch version added 61,588 units for a total of 294,142, while the Switch 2 Edition moved 52,848 copies, reaching 241,383 total sales to date. Another strong performer, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, maintains a robust presence on both the original Switch and Switch 2 platforms.
The Switch 2 Edition registered 52,360 new sales (total: 1,056,514), and its original Switch release sold 47,840 units in the same period, for an accumulated 1,577,663 units overall. Other major titles, such as Kirby Air Riders (47,712 units on Switch 2, 472,549 lifetime), Donkey Kong Bananza (24,974 units on Switch 2, 460,180 lifetime), and Super Mario Party Jamboree - Switch 2 Edition combined with Jamboree TV (23,057 units, totaling 149,493), underline Nintendo's strong multi-franchise appeal.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to be a staple, and though the Switch 2 Edition’s figures are pending, the base game on Switch sold 22,944 more units, pushing its formidable lifetime total to 8,334,062 in Japan.
Rounding out the top ten, Minecraft for Switch added 18,843 copies and stands at 4,128,035 units sold. On the hardware front, the Nintendo Switch 2 opened 2026 with remarkable momentum, moving 313,838 units in the first two weeks of the year.
This milestone brings its lifetime Japanese sales to 4,097,905.
Older models, including the Switch Lite (18,460 units, 6,822,925 lifetime) and Switch OLED (16,916 units, 9,414,838 lifetime), continue to show resilient, sustained demand.
The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition also performed strongly, securing the second spot with 36,856 units (1,154,384 lifetime), closely competing with the combined sales of all three Switch 1 variants, which together reached 46,360 units during this period. While PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X models trail significantly in the rankings, Nintendo’s multi-tiered console ecosystem clearly maintains the lion’s share of the Japanese console market, underscored by ever-popular exclusives and ongoing strong digital and retail support. With the Switch 2’s continued success, bolstered by best-selling software like Mario Kart World and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Nintendo starts 2026 with enviable momentum, reinforcing its leading position in the Japanese gaming landscape.
The Nintendo Switch 2 continues to outperform all competitors, both in software and hardware, backed by the immense popularity of its flagship exclusives and established franchises. Leading the physical software sales chart for the period spanning December 29 to January 11, Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 surged to the top spot with 92,869 copies sold, bringing cumulative sales to an impressive 2,761,250 units.
Not far behind, Konami's Momotaro Dentetsu 2: Anata no Machi mo Kitto Aru – Higashi Nihon Hen + Nishi Nihon Hen held the second and third positions.
The original Nintendo Switch version added 61,588 units for a total of 294,142, while the Switch 2 Edition moved 52,848 copies, reaching 241,383 total sales to date. Another strong performer, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, maintains a robust presence on both the original Switch and Switch 2 platforms.
The Switch 2 Edition registered 52,360 new sales (total: 1,056,514), and its original Switch release sold 47,840 units in the same period, for an accumulated 1,577,663 units overall. Other major titles, such as Kirby Air Riders (47,712 units on Switch 2, 472,549 lifetime), Donkey Kong Bananza (24,974 units on Switch 2, 460,180 lifetime), and Super Mario Party Jamboree - Switch 2 Edition combined with Jamboree TV (23,057 units, totaling 149,493), underline Nintendo's strong multi-franchise appeal.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to be a staple, and though the Switch 2 Edition’s figures are pending, the base game on Switch sold 22,944 more units, pushing its formidable lifetime total to 8,334,062 in Japan.
Rounding out the top ten, Minecraft for Switch added 18,843 copies and stands at 4,128,035 units sold. On the hardware front, the Nintendo Switch 2 opened 2026 with remarkable momentum, moving 313,838 units in the first two weeks of the year.
This milestone brings its lifetime Japanese sales to 4,097,905.
Older models, including the Switch Lite (18,460 units, 6,822,925 lifetime) and Switch OLED (16,916 units, 9,414,838 lifetime), continue to show resilient, sustained demand.
The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition also performed strongly, securing the second spot with 36,856 units (1,154,384 lifetime), closely competing with the combined sales of all three Switch 1 variants, which together reached 46,360 units during this period. While PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X models trail significantly in the rankings, Nintendo’s multi-tiered console ecosystem clearly maintains the lion’s share of the Japanese console market, underscored by ever-popular exclusives and ongoing strong digital and retail support. With the Switch 2’s continued success, bolstered by best-selling software like Mario Kart World and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Nintendo starts 2026 with enviable momentum, reinforcing its leading position in the Japanese gaming landscape.
