Skip to main content

NPD 2020: Nintendo Switch was No. 1 hardware, PlayStation 5 was No. 2

World of Tanks Blitz plays at 30 frames per second and 720p on the Switch handheld and 1080p on the TV.
Nintendo Switch.
Image Credit: Wargaming

The Nintendo Switch dominated hardware sales in the United States throughout 2020. It easily outsold its last-gen competition in the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and it continues to outperform PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S due to their supply constraints. The hybrid home/handheld Nintendo console was the top hardware of the year as well as December, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.

“Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform in units and dollars not only in December 2020, but the entire year,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Annual dollar sales of Nintendo Switch hardware were the second highest for an individual platform in a single calendar year in U.S. history. Only the 2008 dollar sales of Nintendo Wii were higher.”

PlayStation 5, which is still difficult to find online or at stores, also sold well.

“PlayStation 5 finished 2020 as the No. 2 best-selling console in dollar sales, while PlayStation 4 ranked second in units sold,” said Piscatella. “PlayStation 5 set a new dollar sales record for PlayStation hardware through each PlayStation platform’s first December at retail.”

GB Event

GamesBeat Summit Call for Speakers

We’re thrilled to open our call for speakers to our flagship event, GamesBeat Summit 2024 hosted in Los Angeles, where we will explore the theme of “Resilience and Adaption”.

Apply to speak here

Microsoft has said that Xbox Series X/S is the best launch in Xbox history.

But the success of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft hardware pushed the category to near record highs.

“Hardware dollar sales reached $1.35 billion in December 2020,” said Piscatella. “That’s an increase of 38% when compared to a year ago, and the highest total for a December month since the $1.37 billion achieved in December 2013. Annual hardware dollar sales totaled $5.3 billion, 35% higher than 2019, and the most since $5.6 billion was reached in 2011.”

VB Daily - get the latest in your inbox

Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.

An error occured.