If you haven't yet, follow us on X (Twitter), Mastodon, or Bluesky to know when we post new articles, and join our Reddit or Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out our content and interact with our awesome community. Thank you for supporting us!

Valve’s Steam Deck, a consistent top performer on Steam's weekly top-sellers list, has seen a sharp drop in sales that coincidentally followed the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Since its launch in February 2022, the Steam Deck has been popular in handheld gaming. It combines the power of a compact PC with portability, filling a gap in a space that was mostly dominated by the less powerful but cheaper Nintendo Switch. The release of the Steam Deck OLED helped expand its appeal, cementing its spot in Steam's top 10 sales rankings week after week.

Despite its success, Valve has been clear that a successor, the Steam Deck 2, isn’t planned for several more years. However, this strategy might change following the official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2.

Before the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement on January 16, 2025, the Steam Deck ranked third in the global Steam sales (via Twisted Voxel) rankings during the week of January 7. But the week during the Switch 2 announcement, January 14–19, the Steam Deck saw a sharp drop in sales, plummeting to 47th place—a significant decline for a product that usually dominates the leaderboard. Despite recovering to fourth place this week, last week’s decline highlighted a shift in consumer attention and anticipation.

Steam Deck Sales Drop

Several reasons could explain this sudden drop. January is usually a challenging month financially for many people. On top of that, the announcement of a rival handheld from an extremely popular company known for exclusives could have had a big impact.

Though the exact specifications and price of the Nintendo Switch 2 remain unknown, rumors suggest it may feature a screen larger than the Steam Deck and have a competitive price point of $400, which would present a big challenge to Valve's affordable handheld PC.

However, it may not be enough to get Valve to speed up with a next-generation Steam Deck. Back in October 2024, Valve's team said they wouldn’t release new versions of the Steam Deck every year, explaining that a new model would only be released with significant performance improvements. With Valve's comments on SteamOS, and the company not wanting to replace Windows or any other OS, it would make sense that Valve is taking their time and not trying to compete with anyone.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!