Nintendo Switch and Pokémon Games Consistently hold the Top Spot in Japan Sales Charts
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet series continues to dominate the market in Japan, with strong sales, and a significant presence in the charts. This has caused games, such as; One Piece Odyssey and others to take a backseat in terms of market share.
It looks like Nintendo is still king of the charts in Japan, with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet holding onto the top spot like a Pikachu on a trainer’s shoulder.
In just 9 impressive weeks since its release on November 18, 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has already racked up a whopping 4.6 million units in sales and counting.
It’s clear that Pokémon is still the ultimate Pokémon master in the land of the rising sun.
Even with some competition from the PS4/5 title One Piece Odyssey, it seems like it’s all about Nintendo, and familiar favorites like SplatoonTM 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continue to sell like they’re on a Mario Kart power-up frenzy.
It’s safe to say that the Japanese charts are still a Nintendo-fest, and in truth, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Below is a summary of the top 10 software sales estimate for the week starting December 26, 2022 and ending January 8, 2023:
Ranked 1st: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Series on Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Series released on November 18, 2022 is ranked at number one with a two week sales figure of 291,322 copies on Switch and a total sales figure amounting to 4,630,253 units (and rising).
You can get the double pack for $119.99 on Nintendo Switch Direct Download today.
Ranked 2nd: SplatoonTM 3 on Nintendo Switch
SplatoonTM 3 was released on September 9, 2022 and sold 107,700 copies in the time under review with a total sales of 3,795,514 copies and counting.
SplatoonTM 3 is available for Direct Download on Nintendo Switch for $59.99.
Ranked 3rd: Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which was released on April 28, 2017 is ranked at number 4 with 69,772 units sold (in the period in question) and 5,083,147 copies overall during that time. You can get a digital and physical copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $59.99 today.
Ranked 4th: Nintendo Switch Sports
66,720 units of Nintendo Switch Sports were sold on Switch from December 26, 2022 to January 8, 2023 ranking this game fourth on Japan Sales Chart for the period under review while a total of 954,442 units were sold in that time.
This video game was released on April 29, 2022 and you can get the physical copy for $49.99 while the digital copy via Direct Download goes for $39.99.
Ranked 5th: Dragon Quest Treasures Blue Eyes and Compass in the Sky
Dragon Quest Treasures was published by Square Enix on December 9, 2022. A total of 48,297 units were sold on Switch in two weeks from December 26, 2022 to January 8, 2023 while 246,700 units were sold across platforms during this period.
You can get two digital versions of Dragon Quest Treasures on Switch Digital Download, namely; Dragon Quest Treasures and Dragon Quest Treasures Digital Deluxe Edition. The former is available for $59.99 while the latter is $64.99.
Ranked 6th: Gran Turismo 7 on PS5
38,892 copies of Gran Turismo 7 were sold on the PS5 platform during the period of December 26, 2022 to January 8, 2023. The cumulative total sales in this time was 256,905 units.
Gran Turismo 7 was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment on March 4, 2022. Gran Turismo 7 is available for $69.99 on PS5 and PS4 platforms.
Ranked 7th: Minecraft on Nintendo Switch
Both the physical and digital copies of Minecraft are available on Nintendo Switch for $29.99. Minecraft sold a total of 37,443 copies from December 26, 2022 to January 8, 2023 while 2,997,449 units have been sold to date (i.e. January 8, 2023). Minecraft was published by Mojang on June 20-21, 2018.
Ranked 8th: Nintendo Switch Momotaro Electric Railway ~ Showa Heisei Reiwa is also a classic!
Momotaro Electric Railway sold 34,770 units with a cumulative total amounting to 2,817,703. This video game was published on November 19, 2020 by KONAMI. You can get this game at My Nintendo Store Japan today for 6,930 JPY (tax included).
Ranked 9th: Mario Party Super Stars on Nintendo Switch
Released on October 29, 2021, Mario Party Super Stars has been a hit for lovers of Switch. Between December 26, 2022 and January 8, 2023, Mario Party Super Stars sold 30,341 copies on Switch and a total of 1,144,473 in all during this time. You can purchase a physical and digital copy today for $59.99 respectively. A Direct Download is available on My Nintendo Store.
Ranked 10th: Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate
A total of 27,550 copies of Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate sold between December 26, 2022 and January 8, 2023 while a cumulative total of 5,092,741 units were sold in this period.
Switch Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate was published by Nintendo on December 7, 2018. Both the physical and digital format of Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate is available for sale for $59.99. You can get the digital format now on Direct Download.
A final word
The sales figures listed in this ranking include the total of both physical copies, digital downloads and pre-installed versions of the video game on the main console unit. It must be mentioned again that the Japan Sales Chart figures highlighted are for the top selling video game software for the period between December 26, 2022 and January 8, 2023. Expect updates on the rankings in subsequent posts.
