Nintendo Switch 2 hardware sales fell 32.7% in the first half of FY2027 as software sales rose

Switch 2 hardware sales declined in the first half

Nintendo’s Switch 2 hardware sales fell 32.7% year on year during the first half of FY2027, the company’s figures showed. The console sold 2.67 million units from July 1 through September 30, bringing its lifetime total to 26.35 million units.

The original Nintendo Switch performed more weakly, with hardware sales declining 37.4% over the same period. It sold 610,000 units during the quarter, taking its worldwide lifetime total to 157.2 million.

Software sales offset some hardware weakness

Software unit sales rose 18.8% for Switch 2 and 6.8% for the original Switch in the first half of FY2027. Reporting attributed the software performance to titles including Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Rhythm Heaven Groove, while Mario Kart World had passed 16 million copies sold.

Nintendo’s dedicated video game platform business sales fell 15.3%. By contrast, intellectual-property-related income rose 87.9% and gross profit increased 22.1%, which the company attributed to solid software sales and refunds of U.S. tariffs imposed under IEEPA that had previously been recorded as cost of sales.

Zelda release followed the reporting period

The Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launched on November 5, one day before the reporting, but its sales were outside the first-half FY2027 measurement period. Critical scores reported at the time averaged 96 on Metacritic and 95 among top critics on OpenCritic.

Retail availability was a separate concern, with reporting referencing delays for Walmart preorders. The available evidence does not establish how the Zelda release affected hardware demand or sales.

Nintendo Switch Online added Zelda rewards

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can redeem Platinum Points for eight Ocarina of Time-inspired character icons, along with themed backgrounds and frames. The icons cost 10 points each, requiring 80 points to collect all eight, and new selections are planned to rotate weekly over four weeks.

The items can be claimed through the Missions & Rewards section of the Nintendo Switch Online app. Redeemed icons remain in players’ collections even if a Nintendo Switch Online membership later expires, while Platinum Points can be earned through activities and missions without necessarily requiring a cash purchase.

Profit and market reaction were mixed

Operating profit fell 16% in the second fiscal quarter, a decline Nintendo had anticipated. Bloomberg described the 15% platform-sales decline as “bigger-than-expected,” while a Morningstar equity analyst said it indicated that “investors have cooled on the Switch 2 platform.”

Nintendo’s share price nevertheless rose 6.3% after the November 5 earnings release. Nintendo also attributed the platform-sales decline to the continued weakness of the yen.