After a slow start in January, the Nintendo Switch outsold the Xbox One X and PlayStation 5 in both unit and dollar sales in February. The PS5 was the best-selling gaming device in the United States last month, while the Switch came in second behind the Xbox Series X.
Since the PS5 ended the Switch’s nearly three-year winning record last October, the Switch and PS5 have been trading places as the top console. Its reign as number one was short-lived, however, as the new Switch OLED boosted sales and propelled the console back to the top in November and December 2021. The Switch has sold the most copies so far in 2022, but the PS5 has made the most money.
The Switch’s on-again, off-again reign has a lot to do with availability, of course. Due to a global chip shortage, finding a PS5 or Xbox Series X without paying scalper pricing has become impossible. Meanwhile, despite Nintendo lowering production by 20% until March 2022, the Switch – a now five-year-old device — has grown marginally easier to buy in stores and online. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Switch’s sales compare once the Xbox One X and PS5 become more widely available.
Elden Ring grabbed the #1 spot for the best-selling game (as you would have predicted). What makes this victory even more surprising is that Elden Ring was only launched for four days in February, but it still managed to outsell the recently released Horizon II: Forbidden West and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
