Pokémon games always sell exceptionally well, but despite those standards, the number of copies Scarlet and Violet sold is still staggering. Nintendo has shared its recent quarterly earnings, for the nine months that ended December 31, 2022, announcing that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold 20.61 million copies this last quarter. In perspective, Scarlet and Violet are only 5 million copies shy of reaching Sword and Shield’s 25.68 million sales. This Scarlet and Violet’s sales figure is wilder because they were released in November 2022, meaning the games sold that many copies within a few months.
Nintendo has updated its top-selling Nintendo Switch titles list to match the latest earning reports. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are already the seventh highest-selling Switch games of all time, only below Super Mario Odyssey, Pokémon Sword and Shield, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The earning reports also revealed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales reached 52 million copies worldwide. The Nintendo Switch console has now sold over 122 million units across the globe, with over 994 million software units sold for the console.
Compared to the other Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet are already the fourth highest-selling titles in the franchise. The top three best-selling Pokémon titles are Gold and Silver with 23.7 million units, Sword and Shield with 25.3 million units, and Red and Blue with 31.3 million units. There’s a possibility that Scarlet and Violet may end up becoming the highest-selling games in the Pokémon franchise.
Despite solid sales reports, Scarlet and Violet have faced many controversies since its launch. The main criticism aimed at the games is their performance issues, with many fans ranting about the titles’ mediocre graphics and low frame rates. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have released multiple patches to fix some of the issues, but fans still hope the developers will update the games to improve them even further.
