Switch 2 passes the GameCube in just over a year
23.68 million against 21.74 million — while quarterly sales fall by a third.
As of 30 June 2026 Nintendo had sold 23.68 million Switch 2 units. The GameCube sold 21.74 million across its entire life, from 2001 to 2007. Switch 2 passed that mark in under thirteen months.
The same report carries a figure that gets quoted less often: 3.82 million units in April-June, down 34.4% year on year. Nintendo points out that the comparison is against the launch quarter, when 3.5 million consoles moved in the first four days.
Both numbers are true at once. The installed base is growing faster than the original Switch's did, and the sales rate is falling — a normal shape for the curve once the rush ends. The second year is when you find out whether anything besides scarcity is holding the platform up.
Source: nintendolife.com