From Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s total takeover to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment’s pre-load surge and the resilience of Mario Galaxy rereleases, October’s Japanese digital rankings sketch a clear picture of who is buying a Switch 2 and what they want to play.
Nintendo’s October 2025 digital charts from Japan give one of the clearest early snapshots yet of how players are using Switch 2. With Pokémon Legends: Z-A on top of both the new system and the original Switch, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment charting high on pre-orders alone, and Super Mario Galaxy + Galaxy 2 quietly holding its own on last gen hardware, the list reads like a mission statement for where Nintendo’s audience is headed.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Shows Exactly Who Bought a Switch 2 First
On Switch 2, Pokémon Legends: Z-A sits at number one. On the original Switch, it is also number one. That double win matters. It suggests two overlapping but distinct groups: early adopters upgrading for the flashiest experience possible, and holdouts who are not ready to leave their old hardware behind but refuse to skip a main Pokémon release.
The “Switch 2 Edition” tag at the top of the new chart hints at where Nintendo wants people to go. The portable-friendly open world and more detailed Lumiose City redevelopment are a stronger showcase on Switch 2 hardware, and the sales ranking suggests Japanese players agree. The game’s hybrid of open world wandering and more structured city-driven quests leans hard into the portable RPG fantasy that defined the original Switch, just dressed up to prove the new console’s value.
What it tells us about early Switch 2 buyers is simple. This is still a handheld-first crowd that prioritizes big, comfort food RPGs with familiar brands over tech demos. There is no flashy, experimental showpiece beating Pokémon in October. Instead, the market is rewarding a traditional monster-collecting adventure that just happens to be scaled up on more capable hardware.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Proves Hype Can Chart Before Launch
Perhaps the most telling result on the Switch 2 list is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment at number three, despite the fact that its position is built largely on pre-loads. That means people paid in October for a game they were not even playing yet, and it still managed to elbow its way past evergreen giants.
This shows two important trends. First, Warriors-style action remains a reliable comfort genre for Japanese players, especially when paired with The Legend of Zelda. The original Hyrule Warriors and Age of Calamity did solid numbers on Switch, but seeing Age of Imprisonment this high, this early, indicates that Musou-style crowd combat is thriving in the early Switch 2 ecosystem.
Second, it confirms that pre-loads and digital pre-orders matter more than ever for Nintendo’s digital charts. Unlike a slow-burn RPG or platformer that climbs over time, Age of Imprisonment is making its impact before release, pushed by trailers, crossover lore speculation, and the promise of a smoother, more stable frame rate on Switch 2. That is a sign that the system’s early owners are highly engaged fans who follow news closely and are willing to commit before reviews and word of mouth roll in.
Dragon Quest, Tactics, and the Quiet Strategy Boom
Right behind Pokémon on the Switch 2 chart is Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake. On the original Switch, it sits in the same second-place slot. That mirrors Pokémon’s cross-generation pull and highlights how much nostalgia-driven RPG content is guiding purchasing decisions.
Layered into that story is Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, which lands mid-pack on both platforms. Together, they paint October as a month where strategy-minded players were spoiled, and clearly they showed up. Square Enix’s HD-2D nostalgia and tactical revival both translating into top-tier digital rankings suggests that slower paced, menu-heavy experiences are not being pushed aside by more cinematic action games on the new hardware.
Instead, Switch 2’s Japanese audience seems eager to revisit classic-style JRPGs and tactics titles, as long as they are polished and convenient to play digitally. This lines up with the handheld habits built during the 3DS and Vita era. Now that Switch 2 exists as the de facto portable hub, those same players are migrating their tastes upward rather than trading them in.
Mario Kart World and High-Impact, Low-Friction Multiplayer
Mario Kart World ranking near the top of the Switch 2 chart reinforces how crucial pick-up-and-play multiplayer remains. While not a new concept, this updated Kart entry serves as a bridge between casual players and early adopters. It is intuitive enough for anyone to understand, yet deep and connected enough for serious fans to grind online.
That it sits below big story-driven RPGs tells us that multiplayer is not currently the primary system seller in Japan, but it is a close second. Once the early wave of hardcore RPG and strategy fans are satisfied, titles like Mario Kart World are likely to keep players logging in regularly and recommending the hardware to friends who may not be interested in Pokémon or Dragon Quest first.
Donkey Kong, Little Nightmares, and the Platformer’s Place on Switch 2
Donkey Kong Bananza slotting into the middle of the Switch 2 chart shows that platformers still draw attention in Japan, even without the absolute dominance they enjoyed in earlier console eras. Paired with Little Nightmares 3 edging into the top ten, you can see a divide between bright, family-facing platforming and darker, atmospheric side-scrolling.
The result is that platformers on early Switch 2 are thriving as secondary purchases. Players interested in RPGs or Warriors-style action are still adding one or two platformers to their library. That may not turn into chart-topping performance, but it proves there is healthy demand for both classic mascot-led action and more narrative horror-flavored experiences.
Rereleases Like Super Mario Galaxy + Galaxy 2 Still Matter
While the Switch 2 chart is heavily tilted toward new and upgraded experiences, the original Switch ranking tells another story. Pokémon and Dragon Quest hold the top two slots, but right behind them is Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, a bundle that brings two Wii era classics into a convenient modern package.
That this rerelease can debut at number three on aging hardware in October, years into the original Switch’s life, reinforces how powerful Mario’s legacy remains in Japan. It also speaks to the size of the audience that has not yet upgraded to Switch 2 but is still actively buying software. For these players, a collection that runs well on their existing system and offers dozens of hours of polished platforming is an easy digital purchase.
In terms of trends, Galaxy’s performance shows that rereleases are not simply filler between major drops. They are a pillar of Nintendo’s late-cycle software strategy. As long as the content is high quality and the packaging feels generous, Japanese users will show up for modernized versions of beloved games, particularly in digital form where storage and convenience trump shelf space.
Evergreen Hits and the Long Tail on Original Switch
Looking further down the original Switch chart you still find Minecraft, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Clubhouse Games, and Persona 5 Royal among the digital best-sellers. That mix of long tail first-party hits, endlessly replayable sandboxes, and prestige RPGs indicates the old system is not quietly fading away.
Instead, it is evolving into a “comfort console” for many households. New tentpole releases like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Dragon Quest 1 & 2 Remake keep the catalog fresh, while reissues like Mario Galaxy and the enduring appeal of Smash and Animal Crossing ensure there is always something familiar to return to.
For Switch 2, this has an indirect impact. Nintendo can afford to focus the new hardware on more technically ambitious entries and cross-gen showcases, knowing that the original system is still thriving as a safe space for established favorites and rereleases.
What Genres Are Thriving on Switch 2 So Far
Taken together, Japan’s October 2025 charts point to three genre pillars for Switch 2.
First is the RPG and JRPG segment, led by Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Dragon Quest, with tactics-heavy experiences like Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles providing depth. These games are driving day one hardware adoption and digital spending.
Second is large scale action, with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment demonstrating that Musou-style combat fused with big Nintendo universes can still command impressive attention, especially with robust pre-load campaigns.
Third is accessible multiplayer and platformers, anchored by Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Little Nightmares 3. These are not always chart-toppers, but they are the glue that holds diverse libraries together and keep players engaged between major RPG hits.
Early Switch 2 Player Tastes: A Hybrid Of Old Habits And New Expectations
If you add everything up, the picture of the early Switch 2 audience in Japan is clear. They are still in love with long-form RPGs, tactical battles, and familiar mascots. They value convenience and portability more than cutting-edge visuals, but they expect smoother performance and cleaner presentation than the original Switch could offer.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s dominance, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment’s towering pre-loads, and the steady pull of rereleases like Super Mario Galaxy + Galaxy 2 on older hardware all reinforce one core idea. Nintendo does not need to reinvent what people enjoy on its platforms. Instead, it needs to refine and resurface those experiences on more capable hardware while using digital distribution, pre-loads, and smart rerelease strategies to keep both its old and new consoles feeling alive.
October 2025’s digital charts are not a radical break for Nintendo, but they are a confident statement that the Switch era’s tastes are not going anywhere. They are simply moving to a brighter screen with a little more power under the hood.