Switch sales in the UK matched PlayStation and Xbox sales combined in 2020

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The PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S combined sold about as much as the Nintendo Switch in 2020

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(Image credit: Future)

2020 was quite the year for the Nintendo Switch, as the portable console's UK sales roughly matched those of the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S combined.

As noted by GIBiz head Christopher Dring, Xbox and PlayStation's current and last-gen consoles together couldn't outpace the Switch. It's a remarkable testament to the staying power of Nintendo's nearly four-year-old hardware.

It's no surprise that the Switch has been a hot seller - the console is notoriously hard to find due to high demand, and Nintendo recently celebrated the Switch's strongest October sales ever - but this new data from GIBiz definitely adds some eyebrow-raising context.

That's not to say PlayStation and Xbox aren't shifting units. As we recently reported, November 2020's PS5 launch was the biggest for any console in US history. Per NPD industry advisor Mat Piscatella, "PS5 achieved the highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a video game hardware platform in US history. The records were previously held by the PlayStation 4, which debuted in November 2013." Microsoft's new consoles aren't selling as well as PS5, but they're still flying off shelves the second they land. You probably know this well enough if you've been looking (keep up with our guides on where to buy a PS5 and where to buy an Xbox Series X).

Despite the rumor mill continuing to spill out Switch Pro rumors, it sounds like the plain ol' Switch (and Switch Lite) are here to say. Just last month, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said the current Switch is roughly in the middle of its life cycle. Bowser also recently poured cold water on the idea of an upgraded Switch coming anytime soon.

These are the best Switch games to play right now.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.