A 2022 open-world RPG has beaten Splatoon Raiders and Mario Kart World to the #1 best-selling Nintendo Switch 2 game on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop in the United States over the past week. What makes this noteworthy is that the 2022 open-world RPG isn’t even out yet on Nintendo Switch 2, but this will change on August 28. And ahead of this release, pre-orders are starting to pile in. Still, to be top of the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop charts on pre-orders alone is very impressive. There isn’t a ton of competition because there hasn’t been a noteworthy Switch 2 release since Splatoon Raiders a month ago, but still, it’s not even out yet.
The game in question, the game that outsold every other Nintendo Switch 2 game in the US version of the Switch 2 eShop last week, is none other than Elden Ring, one of the standout games of this console generation, and one of the best-selling games of this generation. To this end, it is not surprising it’s pre-orders are so significant that they’re enough to propel it to the top of the Switch 2 charts early. Behind it are the aforementioned Splatoon Raiders in the #2 spot and Mario Kart World in the #3 spot. Both games have enjoyed their time on the throne in the past, especially the latter. Rounding out the top five are Pokémon Pokopia and Madden NFL 27 in that order. Then there is another game not out yet in the #6 spot, with that game being Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. In the #7, #8, #9, and #10 spots, respectively, are DayZ, Donkey Kong Bananza, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and Star Fox. Oblivion was notably the #1 best-selling game the previous week.
While anticipation for Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2 is substantial, those on the Nintendo console should be prepared for a downgraded version. For one, the game will be 30 FPS rather than 60 FPS. Meanwhile, on handheld, specifically, it will be 1080p. There will also generally be lower foliage and detail density. It’s certainly going to be a worse version of the game, but Nintendo fans are used to this from the Nintendo Switch generation. And in this context, it’s not that big of a downgrade Nintendo fans suffered in the Switch generation.
There isn’t a major Nintendo Switch 2 release until September 17, when Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will release. When the strategy RPG comes out, it will no doubt shoot to the #1 spot. Until then, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Elden Ring could hold onto the spot. What’s more likely is it will probably give way to the steady Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives right below it.
