Nintendo's yearly earnings reports show physical software went from 75.2% of sales in the year to March 2019 down to 45.4% in the year to March 2026. That is still more than double PlayStation, where physical full-game unit share fell from 63% to 22% over the same period.
Because Nintendo counts download-only eShop games, DLC and Nintendo Switch Online inside its digital total, the physical share for games that actually get a boxed release is still roughly half.
Nintendo physical vs digital share (2019 to 2026)
| Year to March | Digital | Physical | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 24.8% | 75.2% | Nintendo FY20 PDF |
| 2020 | 34.0% | 66.0% | Nintendo FY20 PDF |
| 2021 | 42.8% | 57.2% | Nintendo FY21 PDF |
| 2022 | 42.6% | 57.4% | Nintendo FY23 PDF |
| 2023 | 48.2% | 51.8% | Nintendo FY23 PDF |
| 2024 | 50.2% | 49.8% | Nintendo FY24 PDF |
| 2025 | 53.5% | 46.5% | Nintendo FY25 PDF |
| 2026 | 54.6% | 45.4% | Nintendo FY26 PDF |
Are Switch cartridges still cheaper than the eShop?
To check whether retail competition still makes physical copies cheaper, we compared 501 Switch and Switch 2 games that were in stock (brand-new) at UK shops (Hit, The Game Collection and GAME) against their Nintendo eShop price.
| Group | Games checked | Cartridge cheaper | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch & Switch 2 combined | 501 | 281 | 56% |
| Switch 2 vs current eShop price | 111 | 61 | 55% |
| Switch 2 vs usual eShop price (no sale) | 111 | 73 | 66% |
| Switch 2 cartridge £10+ cheaper | 111 | 24 | 22% |
On Switch 2, the median saving when the cartridge beat the eShop was £7.14. When the eShop won (45% of Switch 2 games), it was mostly on smaller games or active eShop sales.
Examples from our checks
| Game | Console | New cartridge | Nintendo eShop | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA 2K26 | Switch 2 | £14.95 (The Game Collection) | £69.99 | Cartridge £55.04 cheaper |
| Digimon Story Time Stranger | Switch 2 | £44.85 (Hit) | £84.99 | Cartridge £40.14 cheaper |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | Switch 2 | £64.85 (Hit) | £99.99 | Cartridge £35.14 cheaper |
| Survival Kids | Switch 2 | £22.85 (Hit) | £44.99 | Cartridge £22.14 cheaper |
| Resident Evil Requiem | Switch 2 | £43.85 (Hit) | £64.99 | Cartridge £21.14 cheaper |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Switch | £48.85 (Hit) | £59.99 | Cartridge £11.14 cheaper |
| Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion | Switch 2 | £52.95 (The Game Collection) | £23.99 (sale) | eShop £28.96 cheaper |
For the full Switch 2 table, see Switch 2 games: cartridge or eShop, which is cheaper? For PlayStation, Xbox and Switch together, see Disc or download: which was cheaper in our price checks?