Nintendo Switch Game Sharing is now available with the console’s latest firmware update. This feature will allow you to play games you have bought off of the eShop on a non-primary console. However, there are some catches with the ability to share games on the Switch. Let’s figure out what you can and cannot do with the Nintendo Switch Game Sharing feature.
What is Nintendo Switch Game Sharing?
Nintendo Switch Game Sharing allows you to play a game you have bought on the Nintendo eShop on another console, as long as you already bought said game through your Primary Console.
How to Activate Nintendo Switch Game Sharing
To start using the Nintendo Switch Game Sharing functionality, you need to connect your Nintendo Account to a profile on a second console. To do this, go to the settings page for the new profile and select “Link to a Nintendo Account.” From there, follow the steps to assign your Nintendo Account to the profile. Through this process, your original Switch will become the “Primary Console.”
Once you have assigned the account on the secondary console, you can go to the Nintendo eShop and download games you have purchased on to the second console. To do this, go to the Account Information page on the Nintendo eShop and navigate to the “Redownload” option. There you can download your purchased software onto the secondary console.
However, there are many restrictions on this system. First and foremost, you cannot play the redownloaded games on a different profile on the second Switch. This means that, even if you have a friend’s profile on your console, you cannot play the games they have purchased without using their account. Additionally, when you are playing the game on your primary Nintendo Switch, no one else can play the game on any other console. The other user of the account will get booted out when the primary Switch starts playing the game.
When using the non-primary console, you must be connected to the internet to play games you have purchased. If your console should lose its internet connection while playing the shared game, it will pause until you reconnect to the network.
