Nintendo's half-year results, released November 5, show the Switch 2 at 26.35 million consoles sold, but quarterly hardware sales fell 41% year over year. Even so, profit jumped as players bought more games. Here's what the numbers mean for Switch 2 owners and Nintendo stock.
Published November 5, 2026.
Nintendo results at a glance
| Switch 2 sold (lifetime) | 26.35 million |
| Switch 2 sold (July–Sept) | 2.67 million, down 41% year over year |
| Switch 2 sold (April–Sept) | 6.49 million, down 37% |
| Switch 2 game sales (April–Sept) | 24.49 million, up 19% |
| Net sales (April–Sept) | ¥966.0 billion, down 12% |
| Operating profit (April–Sept) | ¥216.5 billion, up 49% |
| Original Switch (lifetime) | 157.20 million |
| Full-year Switch 2 forecast | 16.5 million (unchanged) |
Fewer consoles, more games
A 41% drop in console sales sounds bad, but it's mostly a comparison problem. Last year's numbers included the Switch 2's huge launch, when everyone who wanted one on day one bought it. A second-year slowdown is normal for any console.
The better sign is software. Switch 2 game sales rose about 19%, and games carry much higher profit margins than hardware. That's why Nintendo made more money while selling fewer consoles: its gross margin climbed from about 36% to about 50%, helped by the shift to software and, according to coverage of the results, roughly $300 million in refunds of US tariffs.
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The biggest Switch 2 games
Mario Kart World leads the Switch 2 sales chart with 16.48 million copies. Nintendo's holiday line-up is stacked too: the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches today (November 5) with a 96 on Metacritic, and Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition follows on November 12.
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Nintendo's forecast
Nintendo kept its full-year targets unchanged: 16.5 million Switch 2 consoles, net sales of ¥2.05 trillion and operating profit of ¥370 billion. With 6.49 million sold in the first half, it needs about 10 million more between October and March, which puts a lot of weight on the holiday season and Black Friday.
What it means for you
- If you own a Switch 2: the strong software numbers mean Nintendo will keep the big games coming.
- If you're waiting to buy one: slower hardware sales and a 10-million-unit holiday target make Black Friday bundles and deals more likely. See our Black Friday console deals.
- If you follow Nintendo stock: profit beat the drop in sales, and the forecast held. The holiday quarter is the one to watch.
Pick up Mario Kart World, the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, or a Nintendo Switch 2 on Amazon.
Not financial advice. Figures are from Nintendo's November 5 results as reported by the outlets listed below.
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Sources
- Nintendo: Financial Results Explanatory Material (Nov 5, 2026) nintendo.co.jp
- Gematsu: Switch 2 tops 26.35 million gematsu.com
- VGC: Switch 2 sales dropped 37% but still beating the original videogameschronicle.com
- Nintendo Everything: Nintendo financial results November 2026 nintendoeverything.com
Written by the WIZY creator
A lifelong gamer and Warhammer painter from Calgary, Canada, and the maker of the Crusade Journal and the WIZY RPG game. I write about games, hardware, Warhammer and crypto in plain English, and I check every fact against its source.
