Reports suggest that third-party games are struggling to sell on the newly launched Nintendo Switch 2, with one publisher even falling below their sales estimates.

While the hardware of Nintendo Switch 2 has seen remarkable sales figures, third-party publishers are facing challenges in making their games successful on the platform.

According to a report from The Game Business, apart from Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red, most third-party games are finding it difficult to attract buyers on Switch 2.

The report states that a significant number of third-party games on Switch 2 have seen very low sales figures, with one publisher describing the numbers as 'below our lowest estimates', despite the strong sales of the hardware.

During the launch week of Switch 2 in the US, 62% of physical game sales came from first-party titles, excluding the Mario Kart World bundle which contributed significantly to console sales in the region.

According to Circana data, the top three best-selling physical games during the launch week of Switch 2 in the US were Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

NielsenIQ data reveals that in the UK, 86% of physical game sales during the launch week were first-party games, and Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling third-party game in the region during that period.

Several factors could be contributing to the slow start for third-party games on Switch 2, including the popularity of Mario Kart World, the availability of backward compatible games, and the lack of media reviews for third-party titles.

Furthermore, many third-party games on Switch 2 are ports of titles previously released on other platforms, which may have impacted the sales of these games during the launch window.

Despite these challenges, the success of Nintendo Switch 2 is evident, with the system achieving record-breaking sales figures in the US and Japan. The console has become the fastest-selling Nintendo system ever, surpassing the launch figures of the PlayStation 4.

It remains to be seen how third-party games will perform on Switch 2 in the future, especially with multi-format releases that coincide with other platforms.