Switch 2's third-party game sales reportedly disappoint, some results radically miss estimates

Some third-party publishers are reportedly disappointed with physical game sales on the Switch 2 while Cyberpunk 2077 soars as the top-selling third-party game on the platform.

2

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a megaton success, selling 3.5 million units in its first four days, making it the fastest-selling system of all time and the best-selling video games console launch in history. But what about the games? Mario Kart World was unsurprisingly at #1, and it's a known trend that Nintendo platforms are utterly dominated by first-party games.

Data shows that Cyberpunk 2077 was high ranking in the US, and it was also the best-selling physical third-party game. Others, however, didn't do as well. New reports from The Game Business utilize analyst data to paint a clearer picture of how the Switch 2 did in terms of physical third-party software performance.

While exact numbers are unknown, and won't be known until Nintendo publishes them in its quarterly earnings report, analysts estimate that:

• 80% of Switch 2 game sales were physical (includes Game-key cards)
• First-party made up 62% of Switch 2 physical game sales in US
• Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling 3rd party game at Switch 2 launch
• SEGA was the #3 publisher at launch

Perhaps the most interesting part of the report is the discussion on third-party game sales in terms of volume. It's said that the majority of Switch 2 third-party games "posted very low numbers," and that one publisher missed their mark by a longshot, delivering sales that were "below our lowest estimates," the unnamed publisher told The Game Business.

Nintendo will have more information on its game sales, including revenue share of physical vs digital and first-party vs third-party, in its upcoming Q1'FY26 earnings report.