Switch Shock: Decade-Old Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Outsold New Mario Kart World in July
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch is still selling strong, even after Nintendo released Mario Kart World and launched the Switch 2. New U.S. sales figures for July show the decade-old Deluxe edition outsold the newer entry on Switch that month.
Sales snapshot
According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who posted the most recent sales data on social media earlier this week, the Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling console in the U.S. in July. Specifically, the Switch 2 sold 2 million units that month, and was reported to be 75% ahead of the original Switch’s pace at a similar point after launch.
Meanwhile, the lifetime install base for the Nintendo Switch remains large: Nintendo reports that 153 million Switch units have been sold worldwide.
(Nintendo’s official hardware and software sales page has the company’s figures: Nintendo hardware & software.)
Mario Kart: old vs new
In July, Mario Kart World slipped in the U.S. charts. It fell from the No. 1 Nintendo game in June to No. 6 in July, based on Circana’s data shared by Piscatella. At the same time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe climbed from No. 7 in June to No. 4 in July.
Put simply: even after a new franchise entry and a new console arrived, many players were still buying or playing the older Switch title. This likely reflects the Switch’s large install base and the fact that many current Switch owners already own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, while a portion of new Switch 2 buyers are picking up Mario Kart World.
Other top sellers
Donkey Kong Bananza launched in July and became the best-selling Nintendo game on the platform for that month. Additionally, Bananza ranked as the third best-selling game across all platforms in July and has already cracked the U.S. year-to-date top 20 — so far the only Nintendo title to do so.
Across all platforms year-to-date in the U.S., the top three sellers were reported as: Monster Hunter Wilds, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and EA Sports College Football 26, according to the same Circana summary.
What this means
In short, the data shows that a popular, long-running title can keep selling well even after a franchise update and a new console launch. The Switch’s large install base — again, about 153 million units — helps explain why Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still performs strongly.
So, if you prefer the older tracks or just want to stick with a proven racer, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains widely played and available.
