The Switch 2 has enjoyed a blockbuster launch with 3.5 million consoles sold. But aside from Mario Kart World, how many other titles are catching your eye, and are any of them not made by Nintendo?
The numbers are in from Switch 2’s launch week, and they highlight a predictable but important trend, Nintendo’s games are still the top draw. About 80% of all consoles sold so far came bundled with Mario Kart World, leaving limited early exposure for third-party titles.
Nintendo also rolled out Switch 2: Welcome Tour, a bite-sized showcase of the system’s features, plus new editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, available as standalones or paid upgrades. Add to that the continued access to full Switch 1 libraries, and it’s no wonder third-party games are struggling to stand out at launch.
UK data from NielsenIQ, shared by The Game Business, shows that first-party games made up 86% of all physical sales for the Switch 2’s launch week , Mario Kart World bundles included. This mirrors the trend seen with Switch 1, which had an 89% first-party share at launch.
According to Circana, 62% of Switch 2 physical games sold during launch week in the U.S. were first-party titles, a softer dominance compared to Switch 1’s debut, where first-party games held over 80% of sales during the first month, per analyst Mat Piscatella.
Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red was the highest-selling non-Nintendo games on Switch 2 during its debut week.
Sega also had a noteworthy presence, becoming the system’s third-largest publisher at launch with key titles such as Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Sonic x Shadow Generations, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S.
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The Game Business revealed that a third-party developer described their Switch 2 game launch as performing “below our lowest estimates,” despite the console’s commercial success.
Without early reviews and facing stiff competition from Mario Kart World, it’s not entirely unexpected.
It’s also worth noting the broader launch lineup as 13 physical games this time compared to just five with the original Switch, that may have divided consumer spending.
Responding to early reactions, analyst Mat Piscatella emphasized that it’s too early to assess the Switch 2’s success for third-party developers. “We’ll get solid results in time,” he noted, but for now, “the thing hasn’t even been out 3 weeks yet.”
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