“Nintendo Is in a League of Their Own” Nintendo Outsells PlayStation When It Comes to First Party Games

Published 12/30/2023, 10:10 AM EST

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People often leave Nintendo out of conversations regarding console wars. But it’s time to rethink that. While the PlayStation strives to push out high-performance consoles along with games, Nintendo takes a different approach. Nintendo knows that they are not known for great graphics but for the kind of games they make. Their first-party games library is one of the biggest reasons they remain one of the leaders in the console industry.

PlayStation is home to some of the biggest and most successful first-party titles. Yet Nintendo has been consistently outselling first-party games. Titles like God of War and Horizon, while still selling millions of copies, fall behind compared to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe leaves the biggest PlayStation titles in a pile of dust

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A Tweet recently surfaced that showcased the number of copies sold for the top-selling First-party games of PlayStation and Nintendo. And by the looks of it, Nintendo has a huge lead. The post shared some statistics on how many copies each game sold and also mentioned that the comparison is between the Nintendo Switch versus titles sold on the PS2 up to the PS5.

Nintendo’s Switch console has reported substantial sales figures for its top games. What’s most impressive here is that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe leads with a whopping 57.01 million units sold, followed closely by Animal Crossing: New Horizons with 43.38 million units. It gets even better when compared to PlayStation titles.

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PlayStation’s top seller in the list is Horizon Zero Dawn with 24.30m. Now look at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Over double in sales! But what’s also interesting is that Horizon Zero Dawn sold around 1.83 million units in its first week, beating Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold 1.2 million units in its opening week.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild stand at 32.44 million and 31.55 million units, respectively. Super Mario Odyssey and Pokémon Sword/Shield each exceed 20 million units sold, underlining the Switch’s market dominance. These figures show what control Nintendo has over its market of first-party titles.

Some may argue that this has to do with Nintendo’s pricing. Be that as it may, their franchises appeal to all generations. And with a combined effort of their games in addition to live events like direct, they’ve managed to inspire loyalty too.

While the sales for Nintendo Switch games is clearly superior, let’s take a look from the other side.

PlayStation games sold overall

On the PlayStation side, Horizon Zero Dawn stands out with 24.30 million units sold across PS4 and PC platforms. God of War follows with 23.33 million units, emphasizing the popularity of PlayStation exclusives. Marvel’s Spider-Man has 22.12 million units sold, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Last of Us Remastered contribute significantly with 18.62 million and 18.24 million units sold, respectively.

Looking ahead, God of War Ragnarök for PS5/PS4 has gained traction with 15 million units sold, but still fell short of Nintendo’s consistently strong numbers. Classics like Gran Turismo 3 on PS2 and Gran Turismo Sport on PS4 maintain relevance with sales of 14.89 million and 12.72 million units, respectively. Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS4/PS5/PC has made a notable impact, selling 14.4 million units.

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In Nintendo’s timeless franchises, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe each secure a spot with 19.50 million and 16.70 million units sold, respectively. This comparison underscores the distinct gaming experiences offered by Nintendo’s Switch and Sony’s PlayStation. And shows how Nintendo is the king of first-party franchises.

Popular series like Mario and The Legend of Zelda have been around for far longer than games provided on Sony’s platform. This has led to many players preferring to continue the ongoing journey that they have sentimental values for. As we can see from the tweet, Nintendo’s 10th place title still has sold significantly more titles compared to half of PlayStation’s list.

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With that said, which of the two is your preferred console? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Viren Mirpuri

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One take at a time

“What doesn't kill me, gives me EXP.” I'm Viren – part gaming journalist, part audio enthusiast, and a full-time gamer. Armed with a degree in Mass Media and a love for competitive gaming, I'm on a mission to redefine eSports journalism.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad