Stardew Valley Was The Most Downloaded Game On The Nintendo Switch In 2017

Everybody is loving the Nintendo Switch. It's the turnaround Nintendo needed after the Wii U and it looks like all is well, especially when it comes to digital downloads. 

Nintendo published two charts showing the most downloaded games in 2017 and we see the indie farm sim Stardew Valley taking the crown in the overseas chart. It was released only in October on the Switch and it still takes the top spot leaving other famous titles such as Minecraft, Rocket League, and Sonic Mania behind it. In the other chart, which takes note of the downloads only in Japan, we see Minecraft taking the number one spot.

There were no actual numbers revealed but it's good to see an indie title thrive on a new console. Stardew Valley, which has been out on other platforms since 2016, was still able to find its footing thanks to it being an amazing game and well, if you think about it, it's a perfect game for the Nintendo Switch.  We see other titles like Shovel Knight and Overcooked making the top 10 spot as well, which shows other third-party titles doing well.

People may wonder why hit titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Mario Galaxy was not part of the list, but it would be safe to say that their success is seen more in physical sales.

For added context - in a report from Business Wire, it was announced that the Nintendo Switch is the fastest selling console in the U.S., selling over 4.8 million units in 10 months. That's 800K more than the Wii in the same timeframe. 

The Nintendo Switch had a crazy first year. Consoles can't live off the success of their first-party triple-A titles alone. Third-party titles and indies need to find success as well and these charts show exactly that, marking the Switch at a very comfortable spot in 2018.