Nintendo’s Switch dominates US console sales ahead of PlayStation/Xbox launches

NelsonG · November 13, 2020

Another banner month month for Nintendo hardware sales, per the latest figures from NPD. The firm puts Switch sales (including the standard and Lite models) at 735,000 units in the U.S., making the best October for a Nintendo console since the Wii sold 807,000 units in October 2008.

It’s been a good couple of years for the Switch, which has marked 23 straight months as the best-selling console in the States. In its own reporting, Nintendo adds that the company has sold more than 63 million units worldwide, to date. 2020 has been particularly strong for the company, owing to both pandemic-related stay-at-home orders and the strength of titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which was a downright powerhouse.

Of course, many Microsoft and Sony devotees were no doubt holding off on purchasing new hardware, with the arrival of the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 a month out. Per NPD, Nintendo offset its competitors’ declines in the meantime. Though an end to Nintendo’s console sales dominance could very well be in the cards for November, even with the Switch bundles the company has on offer for Black Friday.

FIFA 21 was the best-selling game for the month — the first time an entry in the soccer franchise hit the number one spot in the U.S. on launch. The hybrid title, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, was Nintendo’s best-selling game at number five overall, though Nintendo managed to claim nine of the top 20 spots for the month.