Nintendo has done it again — and this time, it has rewritten the record books. The
Nintendo Switch 2, released worldwide on 5 June 2025, sold over 3.5 million units in its
first four days, making it the fastest-selling console Nintendo has ever produced. To put
that into perspective, that is roughly double what the original Switch managed at launch
back in 2017, across every region.

A Launch Unlike Any Other
The numbers coming out of Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters tell a remarkable story.
Japan alone accounted for nearly one million units in those first four days, with queues
forming outside electronics stores in Tokyo reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 era. In the
United States, the Switch 2 became the fastest-selling gaming hardware ever recorded,
moving around 500,000 consoles in its first week.
Industry trackers estimate that by the end of June, worldwide sales had passed 5.4
million units — comfortably the biggest hardware launch in video game history. Demand
was so intense that Nintendo had to run pre-order lotteries in Japan, and retailers
across Europe and North America sold out within hours of stock arriving.


What’s New Under the Hood
So what exactly are millions of gamers lining up for? The Switch 2 keeps the hybrid
formula that made the original such a phenomenon — play on your TV, then pick it up
and carry on handheld — but upgrades nearly everything else. The new console
features a larger 7.9-inch LCD screen running at 1080p with support for HDR and up to
120 frames per second, 4K output when docked, and magnetically attached Joy-Con
controllers that can even function as a mouse in supported titles.
On the software side, Mario Kart World launched alongside the console as the flagship
title, bundled in many regions, and quickly became the must-have game of the season.
Backwards compatibility with the original Switch library also means players are not
leaving their existing collections behind — a decision that clearly paid off.


The View from Mauritius
For gamers here in Mauritius, the launch has been a familiar mix of excitement and
patience. As with most console releases, the island was not part of the official launch
wave, so early units arrived through local importers and grey-market channels at a
premium. Local gaming shops and Facebook marketplace listings saw the console
changing hands well above the international retail price of around US$449 in the first
weeks, as supply struggled to keep up with demand globally, let alone in smaller
markets.

The good news? History suggests prices will normalise once Nintendo catches up on
production. In the meantime, Mauritian fans of Mario Kart have been making do with the
original Switch — or persuading relatives travelling from Europe, Dubai or Singapore to
bring one back in their luggage. It has become something of a tradition for the island’s
gaming community.


Why This Launch Matters
Beyond the headline numbers, the Switch 2’s success says something important about
the state of gaming in 2025. In an era when much of the industry conversation has
shifted to cloud gaming, subscriptions and mobile, Nintendo has proven that dedicated
gaming hardware — done right — still commands massive global enthusiasm. The
company took eight years to follow up the original Switch, resisting pressure to rush,
and the patience clearly paid off.


It is also a reminder of how strong Nintendo’s first-party ecosystem remains. People are
not just buying a more powerful box; they are buying the only place to play the next
Mario Kart, the next Zelda, the next Pokémon. That exclusivity remains the company’s
superpower.


The Bottom Line
The Nintendo Switch 2 is off to a historic start, and all signs point to momentum
continuing through the holiday season as production ramps up and more first-party titles
arrive. For Mauritian gamers weighing up an import versus waiting for better availability,
the sensible play may be patience — but if the launch month is anything to go by, the
Switch 2 will be the console to own for years to come.
Have you managed to get your hands on a Switch 2 in Mauritius? Let us know in the
comments how much you paid and where you found it — we would love to map local
availability for fellow readers.