The launch of the Switch 2 certainly hasn’t gone the same way as the original Switch, and despite the release of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Kirby Air Riders, many people I’ve spoken to or have seen on the internet have been slow adopters of Nintendo’s latest console. While there are several factors to take into consideration such as price and game lineup, I wanted to focus on one surprising game that seems to push people to finally pony up the money for a Switch 2, and that is Pokémon Pokopia.
Is Pokémon Pokopia THE Switch 2 console seller? The original Switch launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and while the console was already highly anticipated after the “failure” of the Wii U, it was clear as day that the new Era of the Wilds, open-world Zelda title helped push console sales.
First, let’s look at sales. This spin-off Pokémon title saw 2.2 million worldwide sales within four days of launch. If we compare to other Switch 2 exclusive games:
- Mario Kart World: 14 million [released June 5th, 2025]
- Donkey Kong Bananza: 4.25 [released July 17th, 2025]
- Kirby Air Riders: 1.76 million units [released November 20th, 2025]
- Console Units: At present, Switch 2 is clocking in at 17 million worldwide units sold.
Sure, these numbers are nothing to sneeze at, but Mario Kart World is available as a pack-in, is one of the most successful Nintendo selling games, and it’s been on the market for nine months. Pokémon Pokopia saw two million in sales in DAYS. While this does not guarantee as steep of a trajectory for an extended period of time, but the initial uptake is impressive. Also, say what you will about memes, but we also see a TON of memes for this game, including Animal Crossing fans with their Switch unable to play because they don’t have a Switch 2 (yet).
It also does not help that many games released in 2025 have been cross-gen, and there have only been a select few titles exclusive to the Switch 2. Of course, I do not forsee this continuing later into 2026 and beyond.
While I personally think Pokemon Pokopia is a strong case as a Switch 2 “mover”, that does not mean it is the perfect showcase of what the console has to offer, nor will it be the only console mover. Pokémon Pokopia does not have high-fidelity, realistic graphics nor anything that would challenge the Switch 2 hardware. Even though I’m not a graphics snob, I too, sometimes grimace at how blocky the landscape is. I couldn’t even tell the S.S. Anne was actually in the game because of the blocky nature — it just didn’t look like a ship at all! Be that as it may, the fact that it is a Switch 2 exclusive is a big reason why it may have moved people to buy the Switch 2. Pokémon Legends ZA, which released October 2025, is cross-gen, so there is no reason for someone with a Switch to upgrade.
I’m confident that Nintendo is also cooking up a strong, first-party tentpole game later this year that also may be a reason for people to move to the Switch 2, like a 3D Mario. However, until then, Pokémon Pokopia may very well be that secret sauce to jack up those Switch 2 unit numbers.
Did you buy the Switch 2 just so you can play Pokémon Pokopia? Do you think it is a console seller? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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Source: Nintendo Life
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