The Best-Selling Switch Games of All Time

Whether or not the Nintendo Switch has enough fuel left in the tank to become the best-selling video game console of all time remains to be seen, but there’s definitely still life in the old dog just yet. Several of the most popular Switch games were released in the one or two years leading up to the time of writing, suggesting that many of the people who picked up Nintendo’s popular handheld system are still actively playing it today.

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Every Mario Game on the Nintendo Switch, Ranked

From precision-based platformers to creative RPGs, the best Mario games for Switch span multiple genres and should appeal to gamers of all ages.

The top-selling Switch games aren’t all that recent though, with many of them having built up their sales totals steadily over a number of years. Between them, they’ve shipped well over a quarter of a billion units, thanks in large to the console’s dominance in multiple regions across the planet. All of the best-selling games on the Switch are first-party titles too, as is often the case with Nintendo’s consoles.

Updated February 26, 2025, by Tom Bowen: Despite the Nintendo Switch 2 now looming large on the horizon, the big N recently updated its list of the best-selling Switch games. Although there are no big surprises, the Japanese giant’s third-quarter results did provide a welcome update on the success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Nintendo Switch Sports; neither of which has ever been able to make it onto the main list. We now know that both games have passed the 15 million units mark though, placing them agonizingly close to the top ten best-selling Switch games of all time.

14

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee!

15.07 Million Sales (December 31, 2022)

Given their popularity and the fact that they helped to launch one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, the fact that the Gen 1 Pokemon games have been remade multiple times should come as a surprise to no one. The success of the Let’s Go games was all but guaranteed even before copies had started to hit the shelves, thanks in large to the special place that the originals hold in so many gamers’ hearts.

However, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee! still deserve a lot of credit, as they do much more than just play on people’s nostalgia. They reimagine the Kanto region with such care and attention that it’s hard not to fall in love with these nineties classics all over again. The Let’s Go games also help to make Pokemon Red & Blue a bit more accessible for younger players and have sold over 15 million units as a result.

Pokemon: Let’s Go

Systems

Released

November 16, 2018

13

Ring Fit Adventure

15.38 Million Sales (March 31, 2023)

Following the success of Wii Fit and some of the other Nintendo fitness games, Ring Fit Adventure seemed like a bit of a no-brainer. Granted, the decision to design the game around a Pilates ring rather than a balance board or some other more traditional workout aid caught a few people by surprise, but it’s one that ultimately paid off for the big N.

With more than 15 million units sold by March of 2023, Ring Fit Adventure was a massive success for the Japanese giant and did a wonderful job of combining fitness-themed activities with more conventional video game mechanics. There’s a surprising amount of content on offer here too, with plenty of side activities to keep players busy long after they’ve finished the main story; including a fully fleshed-out rhythm mini-game featuring music from other popular Nintendo games.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo, Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

October 18, 2019

12

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

15.51 Million Sales

Although the majority of video game franchises have fully transitioned into the third dimension, games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder prove definitively that there’s still space for big-budget 2D experiences in the modern gaming landscape. It really is that good and definitely lives up to its title.

The game introduces several new power-ups as well as the Wonder Effect mechanic, which changes up the stage in weird and wonderful ways. With more than 15 million sales in a little over two years, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is deservedly one of the best-selling Switch games.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

October 20, 2023

11

Nintendo Switch Sports

15.57 Million Sales

Following the incredible success of Wii Sports for the Nintendo Wii, it came as no surprise when Nintendo announced a Switch successor in early 2022. If anything, some may be wondering why it took the Japanese giant so long to do so given that Wii Sports was initially released all the way back in 2006.

Despite being nowhere near as enjoyable as its predecessor, Nintendo Switch Sports has still sold pretty well, with more than 15 million units shifted during its first three years on the market. It helps that several new sports have been added to the game since its initial release, including soccer, basketball, and golf.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

April 29, 2022

10

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

18.06 Million Sales

The first of several Wii U titles that received enhanced ports on the Switch, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe was released in early 2019. It brought with it plenty of extra content, including a brand-new playable character, improved visuals, and the New Super Luigi U expansion.

Thanks to the Switch’s significantly larger install base, the game sold considerably better than its Wii U counterpart, smashing through the three million mark in just its first three months on the market. Sales have continued to trickle in since then, helping it to become one of the most popular games on Switch.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

January 11, 2019

9

Super Mario Party

21.10 Million Sales

Despite most players and critics preferring Mario Party Superstars, it’s Super Mario Party that finds itself among the best-selling Switch games. This likely has something to do with the fact that the latter was released more than three full years earlier and can often be found on sale.

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Every Mario Party Game, Ranked

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Other than coming up a little short in the content department though, Super Mario Party is still a decent enough game. It’s significantly better than Mario Party 10, with much more emphasis placed on having fun and creating fierce yet friendly rivalries among players.

Systems

Developer(s)

NDcube

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

October 5, 2018

8

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

21.55 Million Sales

Given the critical and commercial success of its predecessor, the impressive sales figures for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to many. It sold more than ten million copies in its first three days and was bearing down on the 20 million mark not too long after that.

In many ways, Tears of the Kingdom is the perfect sequel, building upon everything that made the original game so great while also introducing plenty of new ideas of its own. Its world is considerably larger too, with vertically playing an important role in the popular action-adventure game.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

May 12, 2023

7

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

26.38 Million Sales

Technical limitations aside, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet marked a huge leap forward for the long-running creature-collecting franchise, providing players with a fairly sizeable open world in which to explore and have fun. Its unique main story was also incredibly refreshing, allowing players to tackle the three main storylines in any order they like.

A lot of the games’ success was built upon the strong foundations laid by Pokemon Legends: Arceus and the previous generation of Pokemon games in general. Sure, Scarlet & Violet still have their fair share of problems, but it’s easy to see how they became two of the top-selling games for Switch.

Systems

Released

November 18, 2022

6

Pokemon Sword & Shield

26.60 Million Sales

The Pokemon series isn’t best known for innovation, with very few changes typically made between titles. Given its status as one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, this reluctance to fix what isn’t broken is understandable, really, but it’s always nice when developers do decide to go against the grain.

Pokemon Sword & Shield are nowhere near as revolutionary as the Gen 9 Pokemon games, but they did bring with them a few big changes. Among these are the games’ approach to DLC content and the Wild Area, which helped to set the stage for open-world exploration in future games.

Systems

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

November 15, 2019

5

Super Mario Odyssey

29.04 Million Sales

It’s been quite a while since a mainline Mario game has been the best-selling title on a Nintendo home console, with Super Mario 64 the last title to achieve this way back in 1996. Barring some small miracle, it seems incredibly unlikely that Super Mario Odyssey will buck this trend, but that’s not to say that it isn’t still a truly fantastic game.

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The Best Super Mario Games, Ranked

From RPG to racing carts, and a creative mix of 2D and 3D animations we got to see in Paper Mario, Mario games have been released in all genres.

Whether or not it quite matches the excellence of the Mario Galaxy titles is debatable, but few could earnestly complain about what’s on offer here. The capture mechanic really helps to freshen up the formula, while the ridiculous amount of content ensures that the fun keeps on coming long after the credits have finished rolling.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

October 27, 2017

4

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

32.62 Million Sales

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t the first open-world Zelda game. Far from it, in fact. However, neither of the ones that preceded it captured the imaginations of mainstream gamers quite like this one, with its brilliantly designed setting helping the game to sell more than 30 million units and counting.

Hyrule wasn’t the only thing that changed in Breath of the Wild either, with the game mixing up the series’ tried and tested formula in a number of different ways. Dungeons make way for shrines, heart pieces are a thing of the past, and weapons now break after just a few hits, much to the chagrin of some players.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

March 3, 2017

3

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

35.88 Million Sales

The “Ultimate” in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate feels incredibly apt, with the game serving as the quintessential Super Smash Bros. title in just about every measurable way. Its roster features every single playable fighter to have ever featured throughout the series, as well as several new ones just for good measure.

It’s difficult to see how Nintendo could top Super Smash Bros. Ultimate without a rather large shake-up, which seems unlikely given how successful the series has proven to be over the years. It’s no surprise that Ultimate is one of the top-selling Switch games, nor that countless people continue to purchase and play it to this day.

Systems

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

December 7, 2018

2

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

47.44 Million Sales

Being released at the beginning of a global pandemic which saw millions of people confined to their homes definitely contributed to the high sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s still an excellent game though, and fully deserves its place among the best-selling Switch games of all time.

It’s one of the most content-rich Animal Crossing games to date and received excellent post-release support for its first year or two on the market. Granted, it would have been nice if Nintendo had stuck with the game a little longer, but it remains a must-play title for fans of social simulation games nonetheless.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

March 20, 2020

1

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

67.35 Million Sales

That two of the ten best-selling Switch games (three, if one counts Breath of the Wild) are effectively just Wii U games is a testament to how underrated Nintendo’s ill-fated system really was. To be clear, like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is technically an enhanced port, but the core mechanics remain largely unchanged.

When it comes to the best local co-op and split-screen games, the Mario Kart games have always ranked highly, but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is arguably the pick of the bunch. It’s chock-full of content, featuring a ridiculous amount of racers, tracks, and tournaments for players to enjoy.

Systems

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD, Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Released

April 28, 2017

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