Animal Crossing: New Horizons has tapped into the zeitgeist of gamers everywhere and proven itself to be just what the doctor ordered for those in self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To be fair, the game was poised to be a hit regardless. Its immediate predecessor, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, sold over 12 million copies worldwide – and the series has become one of Nintendo’s most important properties alongside Mario and Zelda.

Still, even taking all of that into account – the sales numbers for this latest Switch title are stupidly impressive.

Get this – New Horizons has become the Switch’s fastest selling title in Japan. With 1.88 million copies sold, it has already overtaken the combined total of Japan’s previous record holder Pokémon Sword and Shield, which together moved 1.36 million units in the same time frame.

Keep in mind, these figures are just for the physical sales of the title. None of this includes digital sales, which will undoubtedly take up a huge chunk of the overall figures when they are made public.

Animal Crossing‘s debut on the Switch also smashed records in the UK, where it’s currently outselling all previous entries in the series combined and topping charts with the best launch ever for a Switch title in the country.

Moreover, not only did it dethrone Pokémon in the UK and Japan, but also handily outsold Doom Eternal which had a head start launching earlier the same week. And that’s not a knock on Doom Eternal, it has also had the best opening in its respective series as well; it’s merely a testament to just how strong Animal Crossing‘s sales have been.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons limited edition Nintendo Switch variant has been sold out across the globe as well. Retailers have seen them flying off store shelves ever since the first stocks arrived.

While we won’t know the full details of Tom Nook’s latest outing until Nintendo’s financial earnings report in May, the numbers are shaping up to be historic for the company.

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