MGS Vol. 2 Tops UK Chart; Switch 2's Small Cut Is the Story
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 didn’t just top the UK chart for the week ending August 29, 2026—it did so with a platform split that tells handheld players where boxed-buying momentum is shifting. Konami’s collection arrived at #1 with 80% of retail sales on PS5, 6% on Xbox, 11% on Switch 2, and only 3% on the original Switch. That 14% Nintendo cut is easy to misread as weak, especially for a series with portable roots.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is the second notable debut at #5, and it arrives as a game-key card at a friendlier price. Both placements are useful clues for anyone who buys games to carry around—but the conclusions point in opposite directions.
MGS’s 14% Nintendo Split Is a Generational Tell
The ratio matters more than the aggregate: Switch 2 took 11 points of the boxed split while Switch 1 took just 3. That is not a sign that Konami’s legacy content has lost Nintendo players. It’s a sign of when those players act. Launch-window Switch 2 owners are still stocking a library and are more likely to pay full price for a physical volume with new-hardware ceremony. Original Switch owners, by contrast, already know their backlog can wait for a discount—and a cart for a collection of older games competes with Mario Kart, Zelda, and Splatoon for limited hours.
The 80% PS5 share is the context. UK retail heavily rewards current-gen home consoles for catalogue releases, so 14% for Nintendo on a chart that only counts boxed copies is actually a firm floor, not a footnote. The more interesting portable signal is that Switch 2 out-bought Switch 1 at a ratio of roughly 11-to-3 despite having a much smaller install base — and it’s the version that runs at 60fps on the go. As Switch 2 grows, that percentage should climb faster than the console’s overall install-base rate.
Elden Ring’s Tarnished Debut Is a Download in Disguise
#5 is a strong retail debut for a budget-priced, key-card package—but a game-key card changes the deal for portable players. There is no cartridge to hand off, no media to swap when the Switch 2 is on the move. You’re buying a code that pulls the game onto internal storage, and Elden Ring’s install is not small. That makes Tarnished Edition’s low price more persuasive in a store aisle than in an install queue.
The chart underscores the split mindset. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is at #5 while the base Elden Ring sits at #15, which suggests the new packaging is converting impulse buyers rather than creating a whole new group of premium-payers. On a handheld, the smarter buy depends entirely on how much internal space you’ve reserved—not on which version has the nicer outer sleeve. If the key card is the future of portable retail, download friction still has to be part of the pitch.