February 7, 2025 – Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu released preliminary data last month on the Japanese home game console and game market for 2024, revealing a significant decline. According to the report, the Japanese home game market shrunk by 25.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 301.32 billion yen.
Breaking down the numbers, hardware sales decreased by 30.3% to 189.4 billion yen, marking the first contraction in five years after four consecutive years of growth. Meanwhile, game software sales (limited to physical versions) fell by 17.9% to 111.92 billion yen.
In terms of hardware, Nintendo Switch emerged as the top-selling game console in the Japanese market in 2024, followed by PlayStation 5 (including PS5 Pro), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 4. The Switch is estimated to have sold over 3.1 million units in Japan last year, significantly surpassing the 1.45 million units sold by the PS5.
As for games (limited to physical versions), Nintendo Switch titles dominated the top ten list, occupying nine positions. The only exception was “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth,” which ranked ninth. This trend underscores the Switch’s strong presence and popularity in the Japanese gaming market.
