The Switch might have been the best-selling console of 2022, but console sales as a whole were down 29% last year.
The Nintendo Switch has outsold fellow competitors, PlayStation and Xbox, to become the best-selling console of 2022 in the UK. A new report from Games Industry Biz states that just 60,000 units separated the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, but console sales as a whole were down 29% compared to 2021.
The drop in console sales is reportedly due to the PlayStation 5 suffering stock shortages throughout the year, with sales for Sony’s latest console being down 33%. Despite coming out on top, Nintendo also contributed to the drop in sales, with Switch sales falling 27.5% compared to 2021.
As for Microsoft’s latest pair of consoles, the Xbox Series X and S came in third position in terms of sales, but the two consoles only saw sales fall by 15% compared to the previous year. Similar to the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X also suffered from supply shortages, which had a significant impact on sales.
When it comes to the software side of things, FIFA 23 came out on top as the UK’s best-selling video game of the year. EA’s latest entry to the FIFA series took first position, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II coming in second place, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in third place, Elden Ring in fourth place, and Grand Theft Auto V in fifth place.
It’s worth noting that the above sales were both digital and physical sales, as the rankings do look a little different on the digital-only side of things. FIFA 23 and Modern Warfare II still hold first and second place, respectively, followed by Grand Theft Auto V in third place, Elden Ring in fourth place, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in fifth place.
The full list and breakdown of hardware and software sales for 2022 can be viewed in Game Industry Biz’s yearly report.
