Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Achieve Best Launch Weekend Sales In Nintendo History

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold more than 10 million combined units over its launch weekend, claiming the top spot for most three-day launch weekend software sales in Nintendo’s history. The number, which includes physical and downloadable copies as reported by Nintendo, already places Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in the top 15 best-selling Nintendo Switch titles of all time. In this three-day number, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have already outpaced lifetime sales of games such as Splatoon 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the current best-selling Nintendo Switch title, with just under 48 million units sold as of September. As of this writing, the Pokémon franchise occupies 3 of the top 10 slots of lifetime Nintendo Switch software sales, with Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee at number 10, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl at number 8, and Sword and Shield at number 5. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet need to sell just under 5 million more combined copies to crack into the top 10. The Nintendo Switch sold more than 114 million units to date.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet represent the first time players are able to explore a fully open-world environment in a mainline Pokémon RPG. The technical performance of the new games has received widespread criticism. While some aspects were praised by critics, they have been widely disregarded. However, despite those concerns, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo clearly have another massive hit on their hands. You can read our full review of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet here.