Mario Kart World Dominates Japanese Charts as Nintendo Switch 2 Breaks Sales Records

Nintendo has once again proven its dominance in the Japanese gaming market, as the latest Famitsu boxed charts reveal that Mario Kart World has taken the number one spot with a staggering 782,566 units sold in its debut week.

The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 launch has contributed to what is now officially the fastest-selling console release in Japanese history, setting a new benchmark for hardware sales. According to data from Famitsu for the week spanning June 2nd to June 8th, 2024, Mario Kart World on Switch 2 outpaced all competitors by a wide margin.

Its impressive sales debut dwarfed the second-best-seller, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on the original Nintendo Switch, which sold 45,703 units in the same period.

Meanwhile, the Switch 2 edition of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma also charted, selling 10,877 copies and placing sixth overall. Further down the top ten, two prominent titles from The Legend of Zelda series for Switch 2—the Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild editions—secured seventh and eighth places, respectively.

Sega’s Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut for Switch 2 also debuted in the top tier.

Multi-platform support plus exclusive content on Nintendo platforms underlines a strong demand among Japanese gamers for both new and refreshed releases on current hardware. Notably, Super Mario Party Jamboree remains a strong contender in its ongoing run, with an accumulated total of 1,317,174 units sold since launch.

Other titles like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time and Natsume's Book of Friends: Hazuki no Shirushi also performed robustly, demonstrating a healthy diversity of genres in Japan’s boxed game market. On the hardware side, the Nintendo Switch 2 set unprecedented records by selling 947,931 units at launch.

This feat outpaces previous record-holders by a considerable margin, surpassing the PlayStation 2’s debut week number of 630,552, as well as other standout releases like the Game Boy Advance and the original Nintendo DS.

It also handily outsold combined figures for recent Xbox and PlayStation 5 variants during the same timeframe.

The PlayStation 5 trailed with 14,535 units sold, while the OLED and Lite versions of the previous Switch hardware contributed to Nintendo’s continued hardware dominance.

According to the latest figures, Switch 2’s launch week sales even exceeded the totals of Xbox Series X, Series S, and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition sales combined. Industry observers point to Nintendo’s strong software lineup as a major factor in this unprecedented demand.

In an official statement, a Nintendo representative emphasized the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering compelling experiences on the new system, stating that the strong reception validates their decisions regarding launch titles and hardware innovations. As Nintendo Switch 2 begins its journey with record-smashing numbers, all eyes are on Nintendo to maintain momentum through the remainder of 2024.

Gamers and analysts alike will be watching closely to see whether this trend continues as supply stabilizes and the digital sales picture becomes clearer.

One thing is certain: Nintendo’s grasp of the Japanese market remains as strong—and as innovative—as ever.

Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart Nintendo Switch Mario Kart World Nintendo Mario Switch 2 Famitsu Switch Kart Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma The Legend of Zelda Super Mario Party Jamboree Yakuza 0 Director's Cut PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X