Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Was The Best-Selling Switch Game In The US Last Year

To wind up last year, NPD Group has shared new information about video game consumer spending habits in the US. Apart from Switch being labelled the best-selling system of the year in this particular market, we’ve also got a round-up of the “top 10 best-sellers” (based on dollar sales) for Nintendo platforms in 2022.

Unsurprisingly, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet took out the top spot. It was followed by Pokémon Legends: Arceus in second place and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in third. Kirby’s new 3D adventure was in fourth and Nintendo Switch Sports was fifth. Returning for another year was Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing, and further down the list was the third-party representative Lego Star Wars. Splatoon 3 also made the list in tenth place. Here’s the full rundown (via NPD’s industry analyst Mat Piscatella):

The NPD Group also shared Switch game sale data for the month of December in the US. Once again, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was in the top spot. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was in third place, Sonic Frontiers was in fifth and Kirby and the Forgotten Land also got some love from Switch owners. Here’s the chart:

For 2022 overall, the newest generation of Pokémon was once again the best-selling Switch game, coming in sixth place. It’s just outside of the top five, where heavy hitters like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Elden Ring take the top two positions, while multiplatform hit Lego Star Wars is in fifth. Madden NFL 23 and God of War Ragnarok complete the top five.

January 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the Switch’s second-best-selling exclusive, while third is *checks notes* Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (we kid, we know this will always sell well — especially with 2022’s Booster Course Pass). Kirby and the Forgotten Land has done well too, sitting in 14th ahead of Nintendo Switch Sports and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

It’s not all that surprising to see S&V dominate the Nintendo game list in the US, after breaking a number of series’ records worldwide and selling 10 million copies in the first three days. The Switch has also done well again overall, becoming the biggest-selling console of the year in North America once again: