Nintendo recently released its earnings report for Quarter 3 of the current fiscal year, and, as transcribed by VGC, it revealed that the Nintendo Switch has sold over 122 million units, making it the third best-selling gaming console of all time.
It had passed its fellow Nintendo console, the Wii, back in late 2021, when it reached 103 million units sold, and that had made it the fifth best-selling console ever. With the approximate 20 million it's sold throughout this year, the Switch shouldered past the PlayStation 4 (117.2 million and selling) and the Game Boy (118.69 million).
The only two consoles that remain above the Switch now are Nintendo's own DS console at 154.02 million, and the PlayStation 2 at a whopping 155 million units sold. This makes the Switch the second best-selling console of all time if you exclude pure handheld systems.
Whether the Switch can surpass these two other consoles is yet to be seen. It seems unlikely at first glance, especially since the Switch is most likely in the latter half of its life cycle, with its sales already declining year-over-year and expected to continue declining. When considering the fiscal year, the Switch has sold 14.91 million units so far, and Nintendo has stated it expects it to sell no more than 18 million total by the end of said fiscal year (March 2023).
18 million would be a sharp decline from fiscal year 2022, where the Switch sold 23 million units. In fiscal year 2021, which began in March 2020, the Switch sold nearly 28.8 million units. If the Switch manages two more years selling an average of about 16 million units, then it could become the best-selling console ever, but there are many factors that hinder that possibility. The hybrid console is soon turning six years old in March, and, if Nintendo plans to launch its next console generation this year or the following, then Switch sales would be significantly hampered.
The report also revealed the best-selling titles of the quarter, with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet unsurprisingly topping the list. The pair of games managed to sell 20.61 million units total in only six weeks on the market. Splatoon 3, which launched in September 2022, came in second with 10.13 million units sold. Nintendo Switch Sports came third (8.61 million), Kirby and the Forgotten Land fourth (6.12 million), and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 fifth (1.81 million).