As it does every three months, Nintendo has updated its list of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games, and it was another strong period for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Already the best-selling Switch game of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe climbed further up and has now sold 52 million copies as of December 31, 2022. For comparison, the game stood at 48.4 million copies sold through the end of September 2022.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the Switch’s best, most easy-to-recommended games, so it’s not a shock to see it continue to perform well, especially during the holiday sales season. The game was also included in Nintendo’s usual Black Friday bundle, which no doubt helped juice sales. Nintendo did not provide a breakdown of individual sales versus bundled sales for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, however.
For comparison, Mario Kart Wii for the Wii sold 37.38 million copies during its lifetime. Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U sold 8.46 million copies. Mario Kart DS sold 23.6 million and Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS sold 18.97 million copies.
In what is probably the safest bet anyone could make, it’s believed that Mario Kart 9 is now in development, with one analyst stating that the game will have a new “twist” on the familiar formula. Nintendo isn’t done supporting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, however, as the game’s paid DLC campaign, the Booster Course Pass, still has 24 more courses to come. Mario Kart fans can get all 48 DLC courses through the Booster Pass ($25) or by subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
Other top-performing Switch games include Animal Crossing: New Horizons (41.59 million), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (30.44 million), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (29 million), and Pokemon Sword/Shield (25.68 million). In total, Nintendo’s top 10 best-selling games have collectively sold 273.52 million copies.
In particular, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet put up incredible sales numbers, reaching more than 20 million units since launch in November. The games sold more than 10 million copies right out of the gate, and continued to perform well, as these newer numbers show.
Nintendo also recently disclosed that the Switch has sold 122.55 million units, which makes it No. 3 all-time for consoles, only trailing the the DS and PS2.
Best-Selling Switch Games All Time
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 52 million
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — 41.59 million
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — 30.44 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — 29 million
- Pokemon Sword/Shield — 25.68 million
- Super Mario Odyssey — 25.12 million
- Pokemon Scarlet/Violet — 20.61 million
- Super Mario Party — 18.79 million
- Ring Fit Adventure — 15.22 million
- Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee — 15.07 million
