Switch 2 and “Mario Kart World” Boost Japan’s Gaming Market in 2025

Mario and Pokémon

Japan’s domestic market for packaged home video game software and game consoles totaled ¥418.1 billion in 2025, according to gaming publication Famitsū. This was a year-on-year increase of 38.8%.

The increase was driven by the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 game console in June 2025, which had cumulative sales of 3.8 million units by the end of the year. In the packaged software market, Nintendo’s Mario Kart World sold 2.7 million copies, bolstered by bundled sales with consoles. As Nintendo dominated, Pokémon Legends Z-A was a close second with a total of 2.5 million copies sold for the Switch and Switch 2 platforms.

Further market expansion driven by the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected in 2026. Releases from popular software series are scheduled for February, including Square Enix’s Dragon Quest VII Reimagined for Switch 2, Switch, and PS5, as well as Capcom’s Resident Evil: Requiem for Switch 2 and PS5.

Data Sources

• Data on Japan’s domestic market for software and game consoles in 2025 (Japanese) from Kadokawa.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: A gameplay screen from the top-selling game Mario Kart World. © AFP-Jiji.)