Zelda Tears of the Kingdom doubles Hogwarts Legacy’s boxed sales in the UK at release
Update (May 17, 2023): Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold "over 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in the history of the Legend of Zelda series."
Link's newest adventure is also the best-selling game for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo in general on the European market, according to a press release sent out by the company.
Original (May 15, 2023): The hype could not have been bigger for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ahead of its release, and early sales numbers from the United Kingdom confirm that the title is an audience magnet: Tears of the Kingdom doubled the physical sales of Hogwarts Legacy, easily ascending to the throne as the biggest boxed release of 2023 so far.
According to journalist Christopher Dring, this makes Tears of the Kingdom the eighth-biggest Zelda game in history – after a mere two days. It already sold more copies than Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, and The Wind Waker. This feat makes Breath of the Wild’s successor the fourth-highest earning entry into the series as well. Again, all this is from physical sales alone and based on figures from the UK, which means that the real numbers will be a lot higher and this is just a part of the global numbers.
Nintendo usually doesn’t release digital sales figures, so it’s uncertain whether Tears of the Kingdom can match Hogwarts Legacy in that regard as well. Compared to its predecessor, Link’s newest adventure sold 173% more physical copies, Dring stated. Usually, sequels to Nintendo series don’t outperform the original games, though Breath of the Wild’s stellar reputation and the much higher user base with a Nintendo Switch compared to 2017 are beneficial factors that might allow Tears of the Kingdom to break that trend.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could not quite claim the title of biggest Nintendo Switch launch ever based on these numbers: Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, which was released last year, managed to sell even more copies right at the start. The margin is thin, though, so in terms of revenue Tears of the Kingdom just squeezed by Pokémon due to its higher price.
No matter if you’re already deep into Hyrule or just starting out, you should check our Zelda Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough to make sure you didn’t miss anything or get help for a portion you just can’t get through.
