Animal Crossing: New Horizons dethrones Pokemon Gold and Silver as Japan's second best-selling game of all time

Although it’s only been out for a couple of months, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons has already reached unprecedented milestones, partly because its arrival came at a very opportune moment.

The latest installment in the franchise recently clinched the second spot as Nintendo Switch’s best-selling game with 22.4 million copies sold, next to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 26.74 million. Now, the life simulation game has reached another impressive feat - dethroning Game Boy’s Pokemon Gold and Silver as Japan’s second best-selling game of all time.

According to Game Data Library, the barely four-month old Animal Crossing: New Horizons already sold 7,150,000 copies as of June 30, 2020, placing the Nintendo darling in the third spot just behind Pokemon Gold and Silver's 7,170,000 units sold.

However, since the game has reportedly sold more than 350,000 copies domestically in June, the game's total record has reached the 7.5 million mark, ousting the 21-year reign of Pokemon Gold and Silver in the second place.

Pokemon Red, Green and Blue, which came out more than two decades ago, currently holds the record as the best-selling game in Japan with 10,230,000 combined units sold. However, With Animal Crossing: New Horizons' unparalleled popularity, Game Data Library has predicted that it’s only a matter of time before the international juggernaut snatches the crown as the best-selling video game in Japan of all time.