Nintendo says sales of its Switch 2 hit a record within four days

NEW YORK (AP) - Nintendo says it sold more than 3.5 million of its new Switch 2 gaming consoles within the first four days since its release - breaking a record for the company.

In a Wednesday announcement, Nintendo said that this marks the "highest global sales level" for any of hardware it’s sold within that window of time. The Japanese gaming company officially launched the Switch 2 on June 5.

Fans of the console’s eight-year-old predecessor have been clamoring for an upgrade for years. Throngs of gamers stood in long lines outside stores for the Switch 2’s release around the world last week - less than two months after a chaotic rush for preorders quickly sold out.

Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales. And in addition to a larger screen and new games, the console has added social features aimed at luring new players into online gaming.

Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026. The 3.5 million sold in the first four days includes the Nintendo Switch 2’s Mario Kart World Bundle, as well as the Switch 2’s Japanese-language and multi-language systems sold in Japan.

The Switch 2's baseline price of $449.99 is significantly higher than the original Switch's $299 price tag. While new bells and whistles may account for a sizeable portion of that hike, experts have previously noted that new tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are also a contributor. Evaluating the impact of these import taxes also led Nintendo to delay its April preorders by several weeks.