 and Square Enix's Dragon Quest 9 for the Nintendo DS (20th overall). Given New Horizons' popularity, it's peculiar that Nintendo hasn't been adding more post-launch content. It's been a year since the Happy Home Paradise expansion, at which time Nintendo said there wouldn't be anymore additions. Given its current trajectory it wouldn't be surprising if Splatoon 3 eventually caught up and stole the record fr){kind=link}
Nintendo continues to be its own biggest competitor, as Animal Crossing: New Horizons breaks a new record and Splatoon 3’s sales ramp up.
Although Nintendo is popular all around the world, its almost total domination of the Japanese home console scene cannot be overstated.
Splatoon 3, for example, was certainly a hit in the UK, but its launch sales in Japan were mind-blowing, making it the biggest game launch of all time in the country.
It even outperformed Animal Crossing: New Horizons, although that game has now gone on to break an even more impressive record as the best-selling game ever in Japan.
As a reminder, Animal Crossing: New Horizons only launched two years ago in 2020. Although the fact that it came out during a global pandemic, with many people confined to their homes due to lockdowns, is certainly a contributing factor to its sales success.