9 January 2026

Z-A Passes New Sales Milestone

By newsgame

As 2026 gets underway, new data has revealed that Pokemon Legends: Z:A has passed 1 million physical Switch 2 sales in Japan. This is a significant milestone for Pokemon Legends: Z-A to cross on Nintendo’s newest hardware. However, the latest title from developer Game Freak continues to sell even better on the original Switch, evidencing the console’s longevity.

2025 was an eventful year for Nintendo, to say the least. Things got off to a hot start with the official reveal of the Switch 2 hardware in January. Following several months of controversy surrounding pricing, the new hybrid console launched on June 5, bringing with it the first big system seller in Mario Kart World. Since then, several other big Nintendo games have come to the Switch 2, including Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. While Donkey Kong Bananza was exclusive to the new system, the latest Pokemon game was a cross-gen title. Because of this, many were interested in seeing how the game’s sales would be split between the original Switch and Switch 2.

Some Colorful Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons Are on the Way

A new pair of Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons have just been officially announced, and they hit store shelves the same day as a new Mario game.

Recently, Famitsu published the estimated physical software and hardware sales results in Japan for the final full week of 2025, December 22–28. Among the highlights, Pokemon Legends: Z-A crossed over 1 million copies sold on Switch 2. According to the latest chart, the lifetime sales on the system in the region are 1,004,154, with 46,868 copies being purchased during the last recorded week. However, it is worth noting that this still puts the game’s Switch 2 copies behind those on Switch 1. The latest results reveal that Pokemon Legends: Z-A has sold 1,529,823 copies on the older console, with 59,469 of those coming during the last recorded week.

Top 10 Best-Selling Physical Games in Japan (December 22–28, 2025)

Position	Game	Platform	Unit Sales (December 22–28)	Total Unit Sales
1	Mario Kart World	Switch 2	94,645	2,668,381
2	Pokemon Legends: Z-A	Switch	59,469	1,529,823
3	Kirby Air Riders	Switch 2	47,793	424,837
4	Pokemon Legends: Z-A	Switch 2	46,868	1,004,154
5	Momotaro Dentetsu 2: Anata no Machi mo Kitto Aru – Higashi Nihon Hen + Nishi Nihon Hen	Switch	32,649	232,554
6	Momotaro Dentetsu 2: Anata no Machi mo Kitto Aru – Higashi Nihon Hen + Nishi Nihon Hen – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition	Switch 2	30,154	188,535
7	Donkey Kong Bananza	Switch 2	15,258	435,206
8	Minecraft	Switch	14,985	4,109,192
9	Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV	Switch 2	14,808	126,436
10	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	Switch	13,839	8,311,118

The popularity of the latest Pokemon game on Switch 1 should not be that surprising, considering that the 2017 console has moved over 154 million units worldwide. That being said, the Switch 2 version of the game could catch up in lifetime sales over the coming years. The Switch 2 console has sold over 10 million units, and that number could grow substantially in the coming months. As the install base grows, so could the number of Pokemon fans on the newer hardware. Additionally, Pokemon Legends: Z-A Switch 2 Edition utilizes the more powerful hardware to create a superior visual presentation, which could be tempting to some gamers. However, this version of the game costs $10 more, which could dissuade some potential players.

Some Pokemon Legends: Z-A pre-orders are getting canceled without explanation

While Pokemon Legends: Z-A passed an impressive milestone at the end of 2025, it was not the best-selling Nintendo game of that week. Based on the data, Mario Kart World continued to hold the top spot in Japan, selling another 94,645 copies. This brings the Switch 2 exclusive game’s lifetime sales in the region to 2,668,381. It is worth mentioning that the game has sold over 9.57 million units worldwide since launch. Besides Mario Kart World and Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, another Switch 2 exclusive, placed third on the weekly list with 47,793. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which was released on December 4, did not make the top 10. However, the Metroid series typically does not perform well in Japan.

On the hardware front, the Switch 2 unsurprisingly took first in Japan for December 22–28, selling 200,257 units. This puts the console’s lifetime sales in the country at 3,784,067. The Switch 2 OLED Model was a distant second, with 14,004, and the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition came in third at 13,587. The top five were capped off by the Switch Lite and standard Switch model.

Best-Selling Consoles in Japan (December 22–28, 2025)

Position	Console	Unit Sales (December 22–28)	Total Unit Sales
1	Switch 2	200,257	3,784,067
2	Switch OLED Model	14,004	9,397,922
3	PS5 Digital Edition	13,587	1,117,528
4	Switch Lite	11,776	6,804,465
5	Switch	6,995	20,213,756
6	PS5	3,995	5,869,425
7	PS5 Pro	1,650	311,257
8	Xbox Series X Digital Edition	209	24,711
9	Xbox Series S	71	340,361
10	Xbox Series X	17	323,855
11	PS4	15	7,930,151

It will be interesting to see how the sales numbers for Pokemon Legends: Z-A evolve over the coming months. The game received the Mega Dimension DLC on December 10, 2025, which brought more Mega Evolutions and a new story to the game. This new content helped bring attention back to the game, which has earned a fairly positive reception from critics. However, some fans have been critical of some areas, including the presentation and performance. While the total sales numbers are unclear, Pokemon Legends: Z-A sold over 5.8 million units in its first week. Given its initial popularity, it will likely continue to be purchased by new Switch 2 adopters in the coming months.