Welcome to the May 2026 VGChartz estimates thread, which includes the dates from May 3 to 30. The articles breaking down May 2026 estimates will be posted in this thread.

You can go to the front page of the site and use the drop down to see the different weekly and monthly sales.

VGChartz Methodology: Hardware estimates are based on retail sampling and trends in individual countries, which are then extrapolated to represent the wider region. This typically allows us to produce figures that end up being within 10% of the actual totals.

This data is regularly compared against official shipment figures released by the console manufacturers and figures estimated by regional trackers with greater market coverage than ourselves. We then update our own estimates to bring them into line with those figures. This can result in frequent changes often within a short space of time, but we feel it's important to prioritise accuracy over consistency.

Note that our estimates are based on sell-through data (units sold to consumers). In almost all cases the figures released by console manufacturers are based on shipment data (sell-in), where as soon as a device has left the factory and entered the supply chain for delivery it is considered a sale. This is why there is always a difference between the companies’ figures (sell-in) and VGChartz estimates (sell-through), even after we’ve made adjustments. The one exception to that is when a console has been discontinued and the remaining stock has finally sold out – at that point the figures will match.

Japan estimates for April 2026

Link to the VGChartz article here.

Switch 2 Best-Seller as Sales Tops 6M LT - Japan Hardware Estimates for May 2026

The Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling console in Japan with 634,804 units sold for May 2026, according to VGChartz estimates. The Nintendo Switch 2 has now sold an estimated 6.03 million units lifetime.

The Nintendo Switch 1 sold an estimated 58,714 units to bring its lifetime sales to 36.92 million units. The PlayStation 5 sold an estimated 39,010 units to bring its lifetime sales to 7.58 million units. The Xbox Series X|S sold 2,479 units to bring their lifetime sales to 0.70 million units.

Switch 2 sales compared to the same month for the Switch 1 in 2018 are up by nearly 475,000 units as the Switch 1 sold 160,159 units in Japan in May 2018.

PS5 sales compared to the same month for the PS4 in 2019 are down by nearly 15,000 units, while the Xbox Series X|S compared to the same month for the Xbox One are up by nearly 2,000 units. PS4 sold 53,743 units for the month of May 2019 and Xbox One sales were at 630 units.

Nintendo Switch 1 sales compared to the same month a year ago are down by 40,047 units (-40.6%). PlayStation 5 sales are up by 1,805 (4.9%) and Xbox Series X|S sales are down by 1,232 units (-43.4%).

Looking at sales month-on-month, Nintendo Switch 2 sales are down by nearly 207 units, Nintendo Switch 1 sales are up by over 1,000 units, PlayStation 5 sales are down by over 33,000 units, and Xbox Series X|S sales are flat.

2026 year-to-date, the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold an estimated 1.92 million units, the Nintendo Switch 1 has sold 0.42 million units, the PlayStation 5 has sold 0.25 million units, and the Xbox Series X|S has sold 0.01 million units.

Monthly Sales:

Japan hardware estimates for May 2026 (Followed by lifetime sales):

1. Switch 2 - 634,804 (6,026,641)
2. Switch 1 - 58,714 (36,920,913)
3. PlayStation 5 - 39,010 (7,582,576)
4. Xbox Series X|S - 2,479 (702,347)

Weekly Sales:

Japan May 9, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. Switch 2 - 126,349
2. Switch 1 - 21,499
3. PlayStation 5 - 12,653
4. Xbox Series X|S - 317

Japan May 16, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. Switch 2 - 222,639
2. Switch 1 - 21,435
3. PlayStation 5 - 9,261
4. Xbox Series X|S - 434

Japan May 23, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. Switch 2 - 252,795
2. Switch 1 - 9,557
3. PlayStation 5 - 8,698
4. Xbox Series X|S - 890

Japan May 30, 2026 hardware estimates:

1. Switch 2 - 33,021
2. PlayStation 5 - 8,398
3. Switch 1 - 6,223
4. Xbox Series X|S - 838