Switch 2 is Nintendo's biggest UK launch, but doesn't surpass PS5 or Xbox Series

Plus! The fastest-selling UK game consoles revealed

Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest-selling Nintendo machine in UK history, NielsenIQ data reveals.

It beat the previous best-selling hardware launch for the company (2010’s Nintendo 3DS), and outsold the launch of the Nintendo Switch by more than two to one, the company revealed. Note: The Nintendo Switch was very supply constrained at launch.

Nintendo Switch 1 did over 80,000 units at launch, and Nintendo 3DS managed 113,000, according to Nintendo. NielsenIQ does not share full sales figures.

But it doesn’t come close to being the biggest UK console launch of all time. Just looking at consoles (not handhelds), Nintendo Switch 2 is the fourth best-selling console in terms of units (behind PS5, PS4 and Xbox Series) and the third best-ever in terms of revenue (behind PS5 and Xbox Series).

The UK market has often been a challenging one for Nintendo. The Nintendo Wii was the best-selling console of that generation globally, but was behind Xbox 360 in the UK. Even Nintendo Switch, which has been the best-selling console worldwide for the past eight years, sits behind PS4 in the UK. It’s a hyper competitive console market, with all three platforms enjoying decent market share.

Here are the best-selling game console launches in the UK excluding handhelds (units)

1. PlayStation 5
2. PlayStation 4
3. Xbox Series
4. Nintendo Switch 2
5. PlayStation 3
6. Xbox One
7. Nintendo Wii
8. Nintendo Switch
9. Xbox 360
10. Xbox One X

*Week One is a Sunday – Saturday period. Therefore some game consoles only have two days of sales, whereas others have five days.