'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' sold 10 million copies in 3 days

That's a lot of people MacGyvering vehicles in Hyrule.
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
Link flies through the air in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom"
Credit: Nintendo

We knew it was going to be big, but this is wild.

In just three days since its release on Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. That's a lot of folks currently traversing beautiful Hyrule with Link, MacGyvering together hilarious vehicles, and upgrading their energy cells.

The highly anticipated sequel to 2017's beloved Breath of the Wild has become the fastest selling Zelda game of all time, according to Nintendo.

"In its seventh year, Nintendo Switch momentum continues strongly, as this record-breaking launch shows,” said Nintendo of Europe president Stephan Bole in a press statement. "We’re so grateful for the support of fans for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and are truly looking forward to seeing their adventures and creations as they journey into Hyrule.”

Tears of the Kingdom isn't quite the fastest selling game of all time, however. That honour remains with Grand Theft Auto V, which sold 16.5 million copies in three days and was the fastest release across all mediums to reach $1 billion (and it's also the third highest selling game of all time behind Tetris and Minecraft, and the highest selling console/PC-only game of all time).

But Tears of the Kingdom still has more bragging rights. In Europe, Tears of the Kingdom is now also the fastest-selling game for Nintendo Switch and the fastest-selling Nintendo game for any system.

Plus, "Zelda" searches are skyrocketing on Pornhub, in somewhat related news.

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.

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