Nintendo Switch vs. Steam Deck Statistics – Which is Better? (2025)

Introduction

Nintendo Switch vs. Steam Deck Statistics: As of December 31, 2024, the Nintendo Switch has achieved global sales of 150.86 million units, encompassing the original model, Switch Lite, and OLED variants. This milestone positions the Switch as Nintendo’s highest-selling home console and the third best-selling video game console globally, following the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.

In the fiscal year 2024, Nintendo sold 15.70 million Switch units, marking a 12.6% decline compared to the previous year. The breakdown includes 3.86 million original Switch units, 9.32 million OLED models, and 2.52 million Switch Lite units.

The standard Nintendo Switch is priced at USD 299.99, while the OLED model retails for USD 349.99. In contrast, the Steam Deck, developed by Valve, offers a handheld gaming experience with access to a vast library of PC games via the Steam platform. As of early 2025, Valve has not released official sales figures for the Steam Deck.

Editors Choice

• The Nintendo DS is still Nintendo’s top-selling device, with about 154.02 million units sold around the world.
• Demand Sage highlighted in its report, “Nintendo Switch vs. Steam Deck Statistics – Which is Better,” that Steam has about 132 million active users every month.
• In December 2024, Steam hit a new milestone with 39.31 million users logged in at the same time.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the #1 best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch, with more than 19 million copies sold so far.
• The release of Pokémon Go played a significant role in helping Nintendo’s total value surpass Sony’s net worth.
• In the U.S., Steam holds a strong lead with a 75% share of the PC gaming market.
• The Nintendo Wii is ranked as the fifth-best-selling console of all time, with approximately 101.64 million units shipped worldwide.
• The Nintendo Switch accounts for around 85% of Nintendo’s annual income, underscoring its significance to the company’s profits.
• Steam’s total revenue reached a record-breaking USD 10.8 billion, the highest it has ever made.

Difference between Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck

Display Technology Statistics

• The Switch 2 surprised many people by offering a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD touchscreen that runs at a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and HDR10, which makes games look sharper and more colorful.
• Compared to the original Switch (with a 6.2-inch 720p screen) and the Switch Lite (which has a 5.5-inch 720p screen), the new model gives players a bigger display, better visual features, and smoother gameplay.
• It also surpasses the basic Steam Deck, which features a 7-inch 60Hz LCD screen with thick borders and lacks support for VRR or HDR.

(Source: bloomberg.com)

• In the above chart, we can see the Nintendo Display Demand Statistics for the years from 2023 to 2027.
• Even though the Switch OLED has a 7-inch 720p OLED screen with better contrast and viewing angles, the Switch 2 still wins when it comes to speed, clarity, and extra features.
• The Steam Deck OLED gives the Switch 2 real competition. Many gamers were hoping Nintendo would opt for an OLED screen as well, but Valve’s USD549 Steam Deck OLED stands out. Its 7.4-inch 800p OLED screen is slightly smaller than the Switch 2’s, but it features a 90Hz refresh rate, HDR, and thin bezels.
• The screen on the Steam Deck OLED looks fantastic, with bright colours and great viewing angles. It even makes 800p games look more detailed than you’d expect.
• Some people prefer the higher 120Hz refresh rate and VRR on the Switch 2, which helps the display adjust to changing frame rates and prevents screen tearing.
• VRR is a feature that you have to see in action to appreciate, and not many handhelds currently offer it, except for devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S.

Nintendo Switch vs Steam Deck Battery Life Statistics

#1. Nintendo Battery Statistics

Nintendo Switch (Original Model – 2017)

• Battery Capacity: 4,310mAh
• Estimated Battery Life: Approximately 2.5 to 6.5 hours
• Example: Around 3 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch (Revised Model – 2019)

• Battery Capacity: 4,310mAh
• Estimated Battery Life: Approximately 4.5 to 9 hours
• Example: Around 5.5 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch OLED Model (2021)

• Battery Capacity: 4,310mAh
• Estimated Battery Life: Approximately 4.5 to 9 hours
• Example: Around 5.5 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch Lite (2019)

• Battery Capacity: 3,570mAh
• Estimated Battery Life: Approximately 3 to 7 hours
• Example: Around 4 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch 2 Battery Life (Expected in 2025)

• Battery Capacity: 5,220mAh
• Estimated Battery Life: Approximately 2 to 6.5 hours
• Note: Battery life varies based on game intensity and settings

#2. Steam Deck

Steam Deck (LCD Version)

• Battery Size: 40Wh
• Play Time: About 2 to 8 hours, depending on the game
• Example: You can expect around 3 hours of gameplay when running The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Steam Deck (OLED Version)

• Battery Size: 50Wh
• Play Time: Around 3 to 12 hours, depending on game settings and usage
• Example: You might get up to 5.5 hours of battery life playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo Switch OLED vs Steam Deck – Specs Statistics

Nintendo Switch

• Charging Time: Approx 3 hours
• Battery Life: Approx 4.5- 9 hours
• 5mm headphone jack
• Speakers: Stereo
• Audio Output: 5.1 Linear PCM
• Video Output: Almost 1080p through HDMI in TV mode, 720p in handheld mode
• Wireless: WI-FI (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compliant)
• Storage: 64GB
• CPU/GPU: Nvidia Custom Tegra processor
• Resolution: 1280*720 (720p)
• Screen: Multi-touch capacitive touch screen/7-inch OLED screen
• Weight: Approx 0.7 lbs/0.93 lbs with Joy-Con controllers attached.
• Size: 9.5*0.55*4 inches

Steam Deck

• Operating system: SteamOS 3.0
• Battery Life: 2 to 8 hours of gameplay
• Power: 45W USB Type-C
• Audio: Stereo speakers, dual microphone array,3.5mm stereo headphone jack
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• Touch enable: Yes
• Refresh rate: 60 Hz
• Brightness: 400 nits typical
• Display Size: 7-inch diagonal
• Display resolution: 1280*800px(16:10 aspect ratio)
• Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
• GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0- 1.6GHz (up to 1.6 Tflops FP32)
• CPU: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
• Weight: Approx 669 grams
• Size :298mm x 177mm x 49mm

Nintendo vs Steam Users Statistics

Nintendo Users Statistics

(Reference: statista.com)

• From April 2024 to March 2025, around 128 million people actively used the Nintendo Switch worldwide.
• This Number didn’t change from the previous year, where the same 128 million Nintendo accounts were used to play Switch games at least once.
• The Nintendo Switch continues to be one of the most popular gaming systems, with over 152 million units sold in total since it first came out.

(Reference: coolest-gadgets.com)

• Based on Nintendo’s latest statistics, most people visit Nintendo.com through organic search, which accounts for 48.32% of the total web traffic.
• Approximately 82% of visitors arrive at the site by typing the URL directly or using saved bookmarks, which is referred to as direct traffic.

Here’s a breakdown of the other traffic sources:

• Social media brings in 4.61%
• Referral links from other websites account for 4.11%
• Paid search ads make up 0.85%
• Email marketing drives 2.98%
• Display ads contribute 0.32%

Nintendo Switch vs Steam Deck: User Statistics

(Reference: backlinko.com)

Nintendo Switch vs Steam Deck Revenue Statistics

Steam Revenue Statistics

(Reference: demandsage.com)

• Here is the table that shows Steam revenue by year:

Nintendo Revenue Statistics

(Reference: statista.com)

• From April 2023 to March 2024, Nintendo earned just over ¥612 billion (approximately USD4.05 billion) from the U.S., which accounted for more than 33% of its total yearly income.
• Based on “Nintendo Switch vs. Steam Deck Statistics – Which is Better?”, Backlinko revealed that…Europe came in second, with nearly USD3 billion in sales.
• Overall, Nintendo generated slightly over USD11 billion in revenue during FY 2024, which was approximately USD1 million less than the previous year.
• The Nintendo Switch made up more than 94% of the company’s total sales in FY 2024.
• Since its release in 2017, Nintendo has sold nearly 130 million Switch consoles worldwide. Up until 2022, it sold better each year than all other new-generation gaming systems.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is #1, with over 55 million copies sold, making it the top Switch game as of June 2023.
• Other top titles include Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and several games from The Legend of Zelda series. These popular games played a big role in Nintendo’s success.
• In FY 2022 alone, Nintendo sold more than 235 million games for the Switch, showing how strong the demand is for their game library.

Nintendo Switch vs Steam Deck Games Statistics

Steam Games Statistics

• In 2024, approximately 15,422 new games were released on Steam, representing a 33.14% increase from 2023, when the platform added around 11,583 new games.
• This growth underscores Steam’s increasing popularity among game developers and its dominant position in the PC gaming market.

(Reference: demandsage.com)

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the top game on Steam when looking at average playtime, with people playing around 903 hours on average.

The highest-rated game on Steam is Portal 2, with an average score of 97.71%. Only seven games have ratings over 97% on Steam. Here are the top-rated games and their scores:

• Portal 2 – 97.71%
• Stardew Valley – 97.63%
• People Playground – 97.47%
• Vampire Survivors – 97.33%
• Portal – 97.18%
• Hades – 97.16%
• HoloCure – 97.00%

(Reference: backlinko.com)

Nintendo Gaming Statistics

(Reference: coolest-gadgets.com)

• By March 2024, Nintendo had sold about 1.24 billion (1,235.82 million) game copies for its Nintendo Switch.
• The next best-selling consoles are the Nintendo DS, with 948.76 million games sold, and the Wii, with 921.85 million games sold.

Here are the sales numbers (in millions) for other Nintendo consoles:

• Game Boy: 501.11 million
• NES: 500.01 million
• Nintendo 3DS: 391.96 million
• SNES: 379.06 million
• Game Boy Advance: 377.42 million
• Nintendo 64: 224.97 million
• Nintendo GameCube: 208.58 million
• Wii U: 103.6 million

Conclusion

As of early 2025, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 152 million units worldwide; however, sales have slowed, with hardware sales dropping by 31.2% and software sales by 22.2%. Nintendo cut its 2025 sales forecast to 11 million units and plans to launch the Switch 2 with backward compatibility and new exclusive games, aiming for 15 million units sold in its first year.

Meanwhile, the Steam Deck continues to gain popularity due to its strong performance and flexible PC gaming features. While the Switch leads in sales, the Steam Deck offers more customization, making it a solid choice for tech-savvy gamers. We have provided a clear overview of Nintendo Switch vs Steam Deck Statistics – Which is Better?