An Unexpected Switch 2 Game Is Currently More Popular Than Classic Nintendo Series
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Published Aug 6, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT
Nintendo fans expected the life sim to sell well, but perhaps not better-than-Pokémon well
An unexpected Switch game is currently more popular than classic Nintendo franchises
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Even before it was released, it was clear that the quirky life sim Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream was going to be a Switch hit. What nobody could have guessed was just how popular the slice-of-life game would be. The newest Tomodachi Life game didn't just do well on Nintendo's older platform: it outdid a number of major franchises on Switch 2.
According to Nintendo's most recent financial report, Tomodachi Life has sold a total of 7.96 million units for Nintendo Switch. For the sake of comparison, other 2026 releases for Nintendo Switch 2, like Star Fox and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book have each sold fewer than 1 million copies. The veritable sensation Pokémon Pokopia has sold at least 3.6 million copies as of early June, but that figure does not include Japanese sales, which are reported by The Pokémon Company. That incomplete number still placed Pokopia in the top five best-selling Switch 2 games, though.
Based on current numbers, Living the Dream has evidently outsold multiple brand stalwarts combined, on what is technically on an older platform. Of course, some of those people must have played the newest Tomodachi game on the newer console, which is backwards comptabile. The latest sales figures haven't been updated on Nintendo's site, but the new report suggests that Tomodachi Life is outperforming many releases on Switch 2, despite releasing on an older platform.
Players who tried the 2026 game Nintendo exclusive may not be surprised by its success. The game, which allows custom Mii characters to interact with one another in absurd ways, is rife with moments made for social media virality. The title is also surprisingly permissive for a Nintendo game. Players can fill their Tomodachi island with content that would normally be filtered or banned on most platforms. Rather than creating a cesspool of content, the lack of censorship has only helped Tomodachi Life stand out amid a stacked lineup of classic video game franchises.
Correction: This article has been edited to reflect Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a Nintendo Switch release, not a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.