PlayStation Console Sales Top Nintendo Switch for First Time in Nearly Three Years

10/18/2021 10:11 pm EDT

Hard as it might be to believe, the Nintendo Switch has been the best-selling console in the United States for 33 consecutive months, but that streak finally came to an end in September. According to NPD's Mat Piscatella, the PlayStation 5 was the best-selling system in the region for the first time since its release last November. Last month ended an incredible showing for Nintendo, and marks the first time a PlayStation system was at the top since November 2018, when the PS4 was the region's best-seller. PS5 is the overall best-selling video game system for 2021 in dollars, while Switch has been the best-selling in units sold.

Piscatella's Tweet announcing the sales figure can be found embedded below. 

Readers should note that NPD only tracks numbers in the U.S., so these numbers do not account for global sales figures. The best-selling game of the month in the region was once again Madden NFL 22. The Nintendo Switch exclusive game WarioWare: Get It Together! debuted in September, appearing as the second best-selling Switch game for the month, and the 15th best-selling game overall. Piscatella notes that this is the biggest debut the franchise has ever seen. Tales of Arise similarly had a record-setting debut for its franchise, appearing as the fourth best-selling game of September.

It's hard to overstate what an impressive achievement the run has been for Nintendo! During the previous console generation, the Wii U desperately struggled to find an audience. Switch has been a massive success story for the company, and software sales have also reflected that, with titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons performing incredibly well. It will be interesting to see how October's hardware sales compare to this month: it's entirely possible that PlayStation could continue its momentum, but the Nintendo Switch OLED's release could also help Nintendo reclaim its spot at the top. For now, we'll just have to wait and see!

Are you surprised the Nintendo Switch was outsold last month? Have you managed to find one yet? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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