Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad has pointed out that the Nintendo Switch 2 is seeing significantly faster growth in markets outside the company’s traditional strongholds than the original Nintendo Switch.
Posting on social media, Ahmad noted that it took the original Nintendo Switch roughly 22 months to sell 3 million units outside the Americas, Japan, and Europe. By comparison, Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly reached the same milestone in just 10 months.
According to Ahmad, the stronger performance is largely tied to Nintendo expanding its official distribution strategy in regions that previously had limited support during the Switch 1 generation.
“This is primarily due to the following factors,” Ahmad explained, listing imports from China alongside official launches in Southeast Asia and the MENA region. He added that during the original Switch era, many of those territories either did not receive official launches or saw their releases delayed.
Ahmad also shared additional shipment data showing how these “other markets” now account for a noticeably larger share of Nintendo’s business. During the comparable launch period for the original Switch, regions outside the Americas, Japan, and Europe represented 9.9% of total shipments. For the Nintendo Switch 2, those same markets already account for 15.4% of total shipments.
The comments come as the Nintendo Switch 2 continues to post record sales globally. As of May 2026, the system has reportedly sold 19.86 million units worldwide, making it Nintendo’s fastest-selling console to date.
Despite the strong momentum, Nintendo recently issued a more cautious fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 forecast, projecting 16.5 million units sold. The company attributed the expected slowdown to heavy launch-period demand alongside broader economic pressures, including rising memory costs and potential tariff impacts.
Nintendo has also begun adjusting pricing in several regions to offset higher production expenses. In the United States, the Nintendo Switch 2 MSRP is scheduled to increase from $449.99 to $499.99 beginning September 1, 2026.
