With the switch now getting some same day release 3rd party support, I wonder what that means for ps5 sales in Japan.

Top 30: https://nintendoeverything.com/famitsu-software-sales-1-26-26-2-1-26-top-30/

1. [PS5] Code Vein 2 – 14,452 / NEW
2. [NS2] Mario Kart World – 12,445 / 2,805,146
3. [NS2] Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – 9,941 / 52,918
4. [NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 9,042 / 8,362,221
5. [NSW] Pokemon Legends: Z-A – 6,744 / 1,601,782
6. [NS2] Momotaro Dentetsu 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – 6,203 / 262,314
7. [NS2] Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – 5,875 / 1,078,445
8. [NS2] Kirby Air Riders – 5,324 / 491,424
9. [NS2] Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade – 5,289 / 28,717
10. [NSW] Momotaro Dentetsu 2 – 5,243 / 313,300
11. [NSW] Minecraft – 4,110 / 4,142,086
12. [NS2] Donkey Kong Bananza – 3,504 / 472,619
13. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 3,126 / 6,538,806
14. [NS2] Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV – 3,079 / 159,548
15. [NSW] Dokapon 3-2-1 Super Collection – 2,978 / NEW
16. [NSW] Super Mario Party Jamboree – 2,570 / 1,478,335
17. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 2,543 / 5,874,789
18. [NSW] Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake: Destiny and Strategy Expansion Pack – 2,539 / NEW
19. [NSW] Nintendo Switch Sports – 2,432 / 1,694,540
20. [NS2] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – 2,185 / 168,615
21. [NS2] Dynasty Warriors: Origins – 2,032 / 10,612
22. [NSW] Glass Heart Princess – 2,007 / NEW
23. [NSW] Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – 1,928 / 1,476,136
24. [NSW] Chrono Ark Deluxe Edition – 1,681 / NEW
25. [NSW] Makaism: Frenzy of the Netherworld – 1,622 / NEW
26. [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 1,582 / 4,513,083
27. [NSW] Dark Auction – 1,564 / NEW
28. [NS2] Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake – 1,537 / 148,330
29. [NSW] Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 1,516 / 150,621
30. [NSW] G-Mode Archives + The Detective Kibukawa Ryosuke Case Tale Collection Complete Set – 1,482 / NEW

NS1 - 18
NS2 - 11
PS5 - 1

Just a continunation of the trends we saw during Switch 1, it was already fairly easy for the average Japanese gamer to have Switch 1 as their only console and still being able to play most Japanese third party games they were interested in on Switch 1, with Switch 2 it will be even easier for the average Japanese gamer to only need a Switch 2 to play most Japanese third party games they are interested in. That puts Sony's prospect in Japan in a worse position, because that means Sony first party games (That are traditionally weaker in Japan than in the west) needs to do more of the heavy lifting to get people to buy a PS in Japan. Chinese gacha games not being on Switch 2 is also an advantage for Sony, but most Japanese seems to play that stuff on mobile phones anyway which is why PS5 sales never got much boost from having all those gachas available.

I don't think the price difference is the important difference, the reason why Switch 2 is more popular in Japan is that an average Japanese gamer can play most of the stuff they are interested in on Switch 2, while most popular western games are not on Switch 2, meaning Switch 2 on average is less of a draw in western markets. Nintendo first party games are on average more popular in Japan compared to other games as well.

You think these Chinese gatcha games will eventually come to Switch 2?

Actually I think these games, and other F2P's did give a big boost to PS5 in Japan. While the most played games on PS in many countries are Fortnite, FIFA and CoD, in Japan the top 3 games were Apex, Genshin and Fortnite (in 2023).

I imagine right now the top 10 by playtime would be these and titles like Honkai, Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves etc

Without Gacha games I think it would have sold a lot worse. These are what Japanese gamers are playing on PS5, they're not buying physical games that's for sure.

Ghost of Yotei is out of the top 30 this week, after just hanging in there for some time.

The Switch 1 and 2 versions of Animal Crossing, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Momotaro, Mario Party Jamboree are all very closely matched; Nintendo's last gen system isn't giving up its domination of the charts just yet, even to its own successor.

Feb 2 – Feb 8 sales data (c.f. Gematsu)

Software Sales (followed by lifetime sales)

[NSW] Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (Square Enix, 02/05/26) – 177,653 (New)
[SW2] Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (Square Enix, 02/05/26) – 160,101 (New)
[PS5] Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (Square Enix, 02/05/26) – 118,798 (New)
[PS5] Nioh 3 (Koei Tecmo, 02/06/26) – 40,570 (New)
[SW2] Mario Kart World (Nintendo, 06/05/25) – 10,875 (2,816,021)
[NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo, 03/20/20) – 8,302 (8,370,523)
[SW2] Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Nintendo, 01/15/26) – 8,089 (61,007)
[SW2] Momotaro Dentetsu 2: Anata no Machi mo Kitto Aru – Higashi Nihon Hen + Nishi Nihon Hen – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Konami, 11/13/25) – 5,500 (267,814)
[NSW] Pokemon Legends: Z-A (The Pokemon Company, 10/16/25) – 5,029 (1,606,811)
[SW2] Kirby Air Riders (Nintendo, 11/20/25) – 4,848 (496,272)
Rankings 11 to 30 will be announced on February 13.

Hardware Sales (followed by lifetime sales)

Switch 2 – 65,807 (4,372,893)
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 5,869 (1,177,938)
Switch Lite – 5,240 (6,853,890)
PlayStation 5 – 3,784 (5,887,850)
Switch – 2,235 (20,240,078)
PlayStation 5 Pro – 1,477 (321,003)
Switch OLED Model – 1,417 (9,432,854)
Xbox Series X Digital Edition – 1,049 (27,159)
Xbox Series X – 186 (340,862)
PlayStation 4 – 22 (7,930,239)
Xbox Series S – 18 (323,961)

Switch under 10k this past week… yikes! Switch 2 is still doing strong though. PS5 got a bit of a bump thanks to Nioh 3 and DQ7:Reimagined, no doubt.

Not only under 10k, but under 9k as well.. future starts to not look so bright for it anymore in Japan.

Switch 2 should easily match and beat Switch's 2018.

And boost for the Xbox out of nowhere. Strange.