How Many Sales Every Nintendo Console Got, Ranked

Nintendo consoles pretty much birthed the home gaming system, being the first widely adopted (and affordable) console to hit the market. There were others, but they failed to impact the market quite like the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

I recently saw that the Nintendo Switch 2 had sold almost six million units since its launch in June, and it got me wondering: how does it stack up against the other Nintendo consoles throughout the ages?

Of course, it’s early days for the Switch 2, and it’s sold a bunch already, bound to sell tens of millions more consoles as time goes by. But for now, here’s how many sales each Nintendo console has achieved throughout its lifetime. Why not take a guess, right now, on which console you think tops the list?

This data is based on Nintendo’s own sales reports as of 30 June 2025.

Nintendo Switch 2 – 5.82 million consoles

Alright, let’s all be honest here, the Nintendo Switch 2 didn’t change all that much. It’s got more powerful hardware than its predecessor, sure, but it’ll take time for developers to really harness this additional power in meaningful ways.

So here it is, at the very bottom of the list, as the newest member of the Nintendo family of consoles. I’ll make sure to update this article as we go, so look out for future updates where we’ll see the Switch 2 climb up the ranks (maybe).

Nintendo Wii U – 13.56 million consoles

It’s really weird to call anything that sold almost 14 million copies a failure, isn’t it? But that’s exactly what the Wii U was. It was launched in the wake of the Wii, a supremely successful console that catapulted Nintendo back into the console wars… kind of.

But the Wii U bombed, and as such, it’ll be the lowest-ranked Nintendo console by sales, as soon as the Switch 2 outstrips it.

Nintendo GameCube – 21.74 million consoles

The GameCube is considered a failure, sure, but it had to compete with the PlayStation 2, for goodness’ sake. It’s by no means a poor console, but the console wars were pretty fierce around the turn of the century.

Launched in 2001, the GameCube had the unfortunate task of competing with the PS2 and then plucky newcomer, Microsoft, and its Xbox. The Sega Dreamcast was also in the mix, but despite having the coolest name, it couldn’t compete at all and ended the Sega line.

But it wasn’t the end for Nintendo; they were only just getting started.

Nintendo 64 – 32.93 million consoles

The Nintendo 64 is probably one of the lesser-known consoles, especially in my circles. It was another cartridge-based console from Nintendo. While Nintendo developed this console, another big name was about to burst onto the console scene—the PlayStation.

While Nintendo opted for cartridges, the PlayStation opted for the CD-ROM, which offered superior memory and lured one of the biggest game developers at the time, Square, to move its iconic Final Fantasy series over to the Sony console for its seventh installment.

Final Fantasy 7 almost single-handedly won the console wars of the mid-to-late nineties for the PlayStation, and Nintendo was left floundering. Hence, the Nintendo 64 didn’t do very well, given that it launched a year after the PlayStation, and a year before Final Fantasy 7 would change everything.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System – 49.1 million consoles

Better known as the SNES, this console shaped many a childhood. It launched in the early nineties, starting in Japan in 1990, and brought us classics like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and, of course, Super Mario Kart.

It was the best-selling console of its era, despite not being able to match the success of its previous generation, the plain old NES.

Nintendo Entertainment System – 61.91 million consoles

The OG, the one that started it all. Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda, and Excitebike are games that I’m sure evoke powerful feelings of nostalgia in at least some readers. If you don’t know about the NES, you’re probably on the younger side of gamers.

Back then, a console getting this amount of sales was astounding, but as more flocked to the gaming hobby over the years, the number of sales also steadily increased.

Nintendo 3DS – 75.94 million consoles

The Nintendo 3DS did quite well in terms of sales, not quite matching the original console. However, it did feature backwards compatibility, a boon to any console. What mostly contributed to slower sales near launch was the hefty price tag, launching at $249.99, quite a steep price back then.

Mario Kart 7 would be the most widely remembered title on the 3DS, along with three Pokémon titles, namely X and Y, Sun and Moon, and Omega Ruby and Sapphire.

Game Boy Advance – 81.51 million consoles

The Game Boy Advance was yet another console that simply failed to match its predecessor’s sales. There was nothing wrong with the Game Boy Advance – it actually featured better graphics and overall capability than most handhelds on the market back then.

It also gave rise to what is still my favourite Pokémon game, FireRed and LeafGreen. Though that’s mostly nostalgia talking, and I doubt that’ll ever change.

Nintendo Wii – 101.63 million consoles

The Nintendo Wii… it was the everyman console. It was for non-gamers, at least that’s how I felt when this abomination hit the market. As you can tell, I was never a big fan, but when PlayStation released PlayStation Move, I was eager to get on the scene there.

The Wii did very well, naturally, and the concept was admittedly great. It introduced a lot of people to video games and the possibilities they held that otherwise might never have entered this market. So overall, I have great respect for this little console that could these days.

Game Boy – 118.69 million consoles

Do you remember Pokémon Yellow on the Game Boy? I sure do. Did you know the Game Boy almost didn’t see the light of day? It’s true, in 1988, it was almost cancelled. Thanks to some employees who refused to give up on the vision, though, Nintendo got its third-best-selling console of all time in the little handheld.

Pokémon Gen 1 and 2 led the sales here, in first and third place, respectively. The number 2 best-selling game ever on the Game Boy? Tetris, go figure. Mostly because it was often featured in bundles, but still.

Nintendo Switch – 153.1 million consoles

The Nintendo Switch, no longer the new console on the block. You know it well if you’re a Nintendo fan, and you probably have one, so I won’t go into any specifics here. Nintendo’s second-best-selling console of all time might hit that number one spot soon, given that it has not (at the time of writing) been discontinued. It’s only a million sales away from being the best-selling Nintendo console of all time.

Nintendo DS – 154.02 million consoles

And here it is, folks, the best-selling Nintendo console of all time, at least until this list is next updated. Released back in 2004 and 2005, this brand-new dual-screen handheld pretty much set the world on fire.

It featured better graphics, intuitive controls, and New Super Mario Bros., which sold a whopping 30.8 million copies. It also had Nintendogs, which was basically the coziest of cozy games, all the way back in the 2000s. And that’s it for now, that’s the list.

Was Your Prediction Correct?

There you have it, the DS is the highest-selling Nintendo console of all time. I figured it would be the Wii before I started researching this article, so I was pretty far off! Let me know how you did in the comments, and be honest. I’m dying of curiosity.