Switch hits 15 million sales in North America, or 40% of global sales

The Nintendo Switch line has sold 15 million units to date in North America, Nintendo today announced.

Nintendo's console is already a huge global success that routinely makes over $1 billion for Nintendo every quarter. Now with the Switch Lite in the picture, sales are set to rise--in fact they already are. Total Switch and Switch Lite sales have reached 15 million in North America, and hardware purchases are up 20% YoY in Q2, likely thanks to the cheaper $199 Switch Lite.

At 15 million sales in North America, the Switch has now eclipsed the Wii U's total lifetime sales by 1.44 million (the Wii U sold 13.56 million units total). These numbers also show North America comprises 40% of the total 36.87 million Switch units that've been sold to date.

More important than hardware numbers are software sales. It's here where Nintendo makes most of its money, especially with heavy-hitting first-party exclusives and an incredible volume of indies, re-releases, and AAA hits.

In North America, over 14 Switch games have moved over 1 million units. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Zelda Breath of the Wild, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold over 6 million.

Below we have some figures that put this number in perspective and show the impact of North American sales.

The Nintendo Switch's top five best-selling games are:

1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 17.89 million (NA sales ~34%+)
2. Super Mario Odyssey - 14.94 million (NA sales ~40%+)
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 14.73 million (NA sales ~40%+)
4. Breath of the Wild - 13.61 million (NA sales ~44%+)
5. Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee - 10.98 million

Nintendo is set to announce its six-month earnings on October 31, 2019, so we'll have all the latest Switch sales and earnings figures then.