Nintendo adds eShop gifting support to Switch consoles

Nintendo has updated Switch and Switch 2 consoles to system software version 23.5.0, adding support for digital gifting between members of a Nintendo Account family group. The gifting feature is scheduled to become available through a later Nintendo eShop update, with Nintendo’s U.S. announcement giving November 16, 2026, and its Japanese announcement giving November 17.

Once active, the feature will let users purchase eligible games, downloadable content and upgrade packs for another member of their family group. Nintendo says some products will not qualify, supervised accounts cannot send gifts, and the number of gift purchases allowed within a given period will be limited. The company has not detailed the purchase limits in the reported announcement.

Family groups can contain up to eight Nintendo Accounts. The system will not allow users to send gifts to friends who are outside their group, even if they are on the sender’s friends list. That makes the feature a way to buy selected digital products for family-group members, rather than a general gifting option for any Nintendo user.

The reported purchase process takes place in the eShop: buyers select an eligible product,...