Nintendo Switch 2 will outsell all PC handhelds in 2025 claims report

An analyst firm has predicted the Nintendo Switch 2 will sell 13 million consoles this year, double the sales of the entire PC handheld market.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be a big success based on pre-order numbers, but many analysts are even more optimistic about its chances than Nintendo themselves.

According to analyst group Ampere, the Switch 2 will surpass 13 million consoles sold in 2025. For comparison, the original Switch sold just over 15 million consoles within its first fiscal year, but this 13 million number covers just the next six months.

The original Switch launched in March 2017, so based on these projections, it’s possible the Switch 2 could surpass the original console’s numbers by the end of the current fiscal year (end of March 2026), despite having three months less time on the market.

While companies like Microsoft are making moves to enter the PC gaming handheld space, it’s noted that these projected 13 million sales for the Switch 2 are double that market’s overall sales.

A report earlier this year found the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and the MSI Claw have collectively shipped just under six million units – the Steam Deck is the lion’s share of that with around 4 million sales.

According to Ampere (via The Game Business), 56% of Steam Deck owners use a Switch, while only 1.3% of Switch owners ‘consider Steam Deck to be their primary console’.

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While this isn’t exactly surprising, considering the Steam Deck has always been a niche device you can’t actually buy in stores, it’s a reminder of how the Switch and the Switch 2 really have no equal competitors in the handheld arena.

Elsewhere, Ampire predicts the combined active install base of Switch and Switch 2 will reach 130 million by 2027.

As for Switch 2 sales, the console is expected to sell over 100 million units by the end of 2030. At the time of writing, after eight years on the market, the original Switch has surpassed 152.12 million sales.

Last month, Nintendo said it was aiming to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles by the end of the 2026 fiscal year. This lower than expected estimate was likely adjusted due to the US tariffs, and it’s still unclear whether these will have a significant impact in the months to come.

The Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, with Mario Kart World, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition leading the launch line-up. Ours has just turned up, delivered by a courier.

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