Switch 2 US Sales Hit 5.9M in Year One as $499.99 Price Hike Looms

Nintendo Switch 2 sold 5.9 million units in the U.S. during its first 12 months, making it the second-fastest-selling video game system in domestic history since tracking began in 1995, trailing only the Game Boy Advance at 6.5 million units.

The system led May platform sales and is carrying the U.S. hardware market as competitors contract. Total hardware spending in May 2026 reached $249 million, up 38 percent year-over-year, entirely on Switch 2 momentum that offset a 58 percent year-over-year unit decline for PlayStation 5-its lowest May total since 2000-and the weakest May on record for Xbox hardware. Recent price increases on competing hardware amplified those declines, pushing the average price paid for a new console to $502, up 14 percent from $440 a year earlier, with PlayStation 5 averaging $672 and Xbox Series systems averaging $524.

Nintendo has scheduled a $50 price increase to $499.99 effective September 1 in the United States. Major retailers now face a July and August window to clear remaining $449.99 standalone inventory before the new baseline renders that stock less attractive relative to the updated MSRP. Value bundles at the old price point will give way to new configurations priced at $549.99 or above, eliminating prior discounts. Post-September pre-order availability will tighten, with deposits likely required until supply chains align with the higher pricing tier, and trade-in values for existing hardware will compress as the market reprices around the new threshold.

Watch for the evaporation of bundle discounts and trade-in value erosion at the old price point before the September threshold.