Nintendo Switch equals a 32-year-old game sales record set by the Famicom in Japan

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The top 30 games at retail last week in Japan were all on the Nintendo Switch

Skyward Sword HD
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo just matched a 32-year-old sales record set by the Famicom.

That record is, as explained in the tweet below from the Game Data Library organization, completely dominating the top 30 best-selling retail games in Japan. That means last week in Japan, the top 30 games sold at retail throughout the country were all Nintendo Switch titles, a combination of both first- and third-party games.

That's an absolutely staggering feat to think about. As the Twitter account for Game Data Library notes above, this hasn't been accomplished by any one platform in Japan since November 1998, when the Famicom system completely ruled the roost for the top 30 games at retail (with Dragon Quest 3 taking pole position as the number one game at retail, it should be noted).

Even the Game Data Library account notes that this is a nearly unprecedented win for Nintendo. As the account explains, throughout the 1990s it wasn't uncommon for the top 30 retail games in Japan to be a combination of the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Game Boy.

For what it's worth, the number one game at retail this past week in Japan was Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch. Following shortly behind is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, the re-release of the original Wii game from 2011 which debuted last month on the Nintendo Switch.

If you're still trying to get your hands on Nintendo's relatively elusive console, you can head over to our best Nintendo Switch bundles guide for the best deals on the console around.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.