Top 100 Best-Selling Games of 2019 in Japan Revealed by Famitsu: Nintendo Switch Dominates

Today’s issue of Weekly Famitsu included a massive ranking with the top-100 best-selling physical retail games of 2019 in Japan.

The ranking includes only physical sales, and while Famitsu does estimate digitals sales monthly, they’re not counted here.

On top of that, the number in brackets indicates lifetime sales where appropriate for games released before 2019.

1. Pokemon Sword & Shield – Switch – 2,988,134
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Switch – 1,092,397 [3,453,052]
3. Super Mario Maker 2 – Switch – 800,504
4. Kingdom Hearts 3 – PS4 – 861,226
5. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – Switch – 747,589
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Switch – 628,712 [2,659,009]
7. Minecraft – Switch – 620,894 – [1,145,939]
8. Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Switch – 505,998
9. Super Mario Party – Switch – 498,857
10. Ring Fit Adventure – Switch – 495,639
11. Dragon Quest XI S – Switch – 463,699
12. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! – Switch – 431,629 [1,685,306]
13. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition – PS4 – 417,462
14. Resident Evil 2 – PS4 – 403,833
15. Splatoon 2 – Switch – 378,340 [3,252,760]
16. Fishing Spirits – Switch – 336,995
17. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch – 301,657 [1,481,349]
18. Yo-Kai Watch 4 – Switch – 291,878
19. Fire Emblem Three Houses – Switch – 273,905
20. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – PS4 – 267,666
21. Death Stranding – PS4 – 262,827
22. Pro Baseball Spirits 2019 – PS4 – 259,227
23. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Switch – 250,974
24. Persona 5 Royal – PS4 – 244,050
25. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – PS4 – 220,195
26. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball – Switch – 210,259
27. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – PS4 – 209,081
28. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Switch – 195,128
29. Days Gone – PS4 – 192,900
30. Devil May Cry 5 – PS4 – 189,121
31. Yoshi’s Crafted World – Switch – 186,065
32. Project Sakura Wars – PS4 – 161,288
33. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! – Switch – 150,167 [420,582]
34. Super Mario Odyssey – Switch – 147,340 [2,047,546]
35. Super Dragon Ball Heroes:World Mission – Switch – 145,720
36. Jump Force – PS4 – 130,293
37. Disney Tsum Tsum Festival – Switch –  125,498
38. Dragon Quest Builders 2 – Switch – 124,837 [290,255]
39. eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 – PS4 – 119,715
40. Kirby Star Allies – Switch – 119,059 [783,874]
41. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town – Switch – 118,082
42. Anthem – PS4 – 117.418
43. The Division 2 – PS4 – 116,023
44. Doraemon Story of Seasons – Switch – 112,104
45. Super Robot Wars T – PS4 – 105,703
46. Code Vein – PS4 – 93,236
47. Earth Defense Foce: Iron Rain – PS4 – 88,600
48. Ghost Recon Breakpoint – PS4 – 86,781
49. SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays – PS4 – 86,739
50. Dragon Quest Builders 2 – PS4 – 86,434 [250,316]
51. Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game – Switch – 81,491
52. Nintendo LABO Toy-Con 04: VR Kit – Switch – 81,440
53. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – 3DS – 80,309 [2,513,588]
54. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne – PS4 – 76,369
55. One Piece World Seeker – PS4 – 76,235
56. FIFA 20 – PS4 – 74,142
57. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout – PS4 – 72,091
58. Pro Baseball Spirits 2019 – PS Vita – 70,763
59. Catherine Full Body – PS4 – 69,804
60. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox – PS4 – 68,428
61. GO Vacation – Switch – 67,801 [80,842]
62. Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition – PS4 – 66,648
63. Mario Tennis Aces – Switch – 66,512 [442,878]
64. Battlefield V – PS4 – 65,155 [209,464]
65. Borderlands 3 – PS4 – 64,568
66. Fit Boxing – Switch – 62,414 [66,193]
67. Rune Factory 4 Special – Switch – 62,412
68. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX – PS4 – 62,274 [293,249]
69. SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays – Switch – 62,173
70. NieR: Automata – Game of the YoRHa Edition – PS4 – 59,848
71. Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition – PS4 – 59,435 [420,774]
72. Far Cry New Dawn – PS4 – 58,924
73. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order – PS4 – 55,062
74. Judgment – PS4 – 54,586 [278,634]
75. Astral Chain – Switch – 54,105
76. Super Robot Wars T – Switch – 53,810
77. Super Bomberman R (Smile Price Collection) – Switch – 53,720 [62,222]
78. Monster Hunter World (Best Price Edition) – PS4 – 52,846 [76,511]
79. World War Z – PS4 – 52,693
80. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster – Switch – 52,670
81. Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! – Switch – 52,098
82. Daemon X Machina – Switch – 49,009
83. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for Nintendo Switch (Best Price Edition) – Switch – 48,977 [55,223]
84. Attack on Titan 2 Final Battle – Switch – 48,904
85. Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age – Switch – 48,348
86. PlayStation VR Worlds – Ps4 – 48,088 [101,907]
87. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo – 3DS – 47,880 [472,862]
88. Grand Theft Auto 4 (New Price Edition) – PS4 – 47,777 [52,664]
89. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – PS4 –  47,446
90. Yo-Kai Watch ++ – Switch – 46,896
91. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Switch – 45,117 [201,507]
92. Yakuza 5 – PS4 – 44,593
93. Sumikko Gurashi: School Life Begins – Switch – 44,181
94. Monster Hunter: World (Berst Price Bargain Edition) – PS4 – 44,111
95. FIFA 20 Legacy Edition – Switch – 43,956
96. Yakuza 4 – PS4 – 43,782
97. Azur Lane: Crosswave – PS4 – 43,585
98. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition – Switch – 42,816
99. Dead by Daylight – PS4 – 41,682 [59,353]
100. Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! – PS4 – 41,354

It’s quite evident that 2019 was the year of the Nintendo Switch in Japan, with 16 games for the hybrid console in the top-20, and only Kingdom Hearts 3 holding up the PS4 flag in the top-5.

That being said, a few core games keep selling better on PS4 despite the fact that the Switch has passed Sony’s console’s installed base in the country back in May.

That’s likely due to Switch users purchasing the console primarily for first-party games, and exclusives usually getting the best real estate both on the shelves and in marketing.

With the next generation coming soon, it’ll be interesting to see where the local market will land, but Nintendo certainly shined in its home turf in 2019.

[Source: Weekly Famitsu]