Nintendo Switch expected to have overtaken Game Boy to become third best-selling console ever

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There's a long gap between the Switch and the DS, though

Nintendo Switch
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Nintendo Switch is estimated to have overtaken the Game Boy in worldwide sales to become the third best-selling console ever.

That's according to data from VGChartz, accumulating figures about the Nintendo Switch's lifetime sales to date from numbers shipped in the week ending December 10, 2022. At a reported 118.99 million lifetime sales, the Switch has overtaken the Game Boy, which sits at 118.69 million total units sold.

If the Switch wants to become the second best-selling games console ever though, it's got its work cut out. That title belongs to the Nintendo DS family of devices, sitting tall at 154.02 million lifetime sales, while the best-selling console of all time is the PlayStation 2, just a few million sales away from that at 159 million units sold.

Nintendo Switch sales haven't shown any sign of slowing down a considerable amount over the past few years, despite repeated supply issues due to scarcity of parts. Supply issues for the Switch have been ongoing for nearly three years now, since the global onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the past week though, one reporter claimed Nintendo could begin talking about the Switch's successor as soon as next year in 2024. Responding to a recent claim that the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro was actually cancelled during development, a journalist took to Twitter to claim that they wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo acknowledged new hardware as soon as next year. 

If Nintendo does announce new hardware next year in 2024, it's likely that Switch sales figures will decline somewhat. Until then though, the Switch will likely keep selling at a record-setting pace for Nintendo.

Check out our upcoming Switch games guide for a full look at all the exclusives Nintendo has to offer in the coming year. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

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.