When you have a game that’s really hyped, you have to wonder if the hype will lead to strong sales at launch. Donkey Kong Bananza was a game that went from having “some hype” to having “all the hype” in one Nintendo Direct. Then, when the game came out, not only did it get “GOTY Consideration” from critics, but gamers couldn’t help but love what they were playing. Now, we’re just waiting to hear how much the game has sold. Thankfully, Japan has shared with us a glimpse of its sales numbers.
As noted by Stealth (who is going off Famitsu numbers), Donkey Kong Bananza sold almost 130K in Japan in its first week. While that may not sound like a lot, you need to remember that Japan handles games like DK’s a bit differently than other regions. Plus, this was only physical units sold, not digital, so the number is likely higher, if not a lot higher. Ironically, the only game to beat it was Mario Kart World, which, obviously, came with the Nintendo Switch 2.
Donkey Kong Bananza sold 127,905 physical units in Japan at launch.
It wasn’t enough to beat Mario Kart World which sold another 135k units.
Hardware:
Switch 2 – 152,165
Switch – 11,766
PS5 – 6,148
Xbox Series – 150
PS4 – 22 pic.twitter.com/IPa8oRAOkz— Stealth (@Stealth40k) July 24, 2025
So, yeah, DK’s off to a great start, and teases from other regions like the UK and US seem to point to this easily being another million-seller for the Switch 2. Now if only we knew when the next big game was coming out…
