Feeling generous? Wondering how to give Nintendo Switch games as gifts? It’s delightful to see your kindness.
Ah, we understand. You’re not looking to buy a gift for Team Thumbsticks. You want to buy games for your family and friends.
That’s absolutely fine. We completely understand. We’re not at all offended.
Can You Give Nintendo Switch Games Digitally?
The simple answer is no, you can’t. Currently, there is no way to gift Nintendo Switch games digitally, whether through the online eShop or directly on the console itself. (As of May 2019.)
It seems strange, doesn’t it? Especially when codes for redeeming digital downloads from the Nintendo eShop exist. We receive Nintendo Switch codes from publishers all the time to review games. So the mechanism does exist. But it’s not available for gifting.
So if you were planning on gifting someone a digital game on the Nintendo Switch, you’re out of luck. However, if you still want to be generous, there are other ways to share the love.
Option 1: Nintendo eShop Top-Up Vouchers
You can buy someone a top-up voucher for the Nintendo eShop. If you had initially planned to buy them a specific game, you can purchase a top-up equivalent to the game’s value and gift it to them. Top-ups can come in the form of physical cards with scratch-off codes or digital-only codes redeemed through the Nintendo eShop.
Keep in mind that when giving someone a top-up voucher, you can’t specify which game they should get. Most of the time, that’s precisely why vouchers are given – because you don’t know what to get them. But if you had a particular game in mind to gift, you can’t be certain that they won’t spend their eShop credit on Fortnite cosmetics instead of the indie game you know they’ll love.
Option 2: Secret Purchases
If the recipient is a family member and you have access to their Switch, you can secretly top up their eShop funds while they’re not looking.
This can be especially useful for parents who want to control how much their kids spend on the Nintendo eShop, ensuring they don’t use it all on cosmetics or loot boxes. It’s also a great way to surprise them with a gift.
You can log on to their Switch as their user and add credit to their Nintendo eShop account. Alternatively, you can simply buy a game for them and download it in secret. Discovering a game you didn’t know you had is always a lovely surprise.
Option 3: The Old-Fashioned Method
This may not be an option for the majority of games on the Nintendo Switch, but you can always buy someone an actual physical game. You know, the kind that comes in a box.
All the essential first-party Nintendo Switch games like Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Ultimate, and Super Mario Odyssey are available in physical retail form. Many games from major publishers like FIFA 19, Skyrim, and Civilization VI can also be bought in retail packages.
Specialist publishers like Limited Run Games also offer boxed versions of fantastic indie games for the Nintendo Switch and other platforms, but availability is limited. Classics like Celeste, Oxenfree, and West of Loathing have all been available through Limited Run Games, but they may now only be found second-hand. Of course, there are other small-batch publishers as well.
One of the benefits of gifting a physical game, whether it’s for the Nintendo Switch or any other platform, is being able to see the recipient’s face when they receive it. If that’s not important to you or if the person you’re gifting to is far away, you can always order the game online. (Amazon offers gift-wrapping options if you want to make it fancy, or at least the option to remove it.)
Update: December 8, 2019
Since this article was first published, a couple of additional methods to gift Nintendo Switch games have emerged.
Some games have started appearing as digital codes on Amazon. There doesn’t seem to be any particular pattern to which games are available and which ones aren’t. For example, West of Loathing was available as a code for some time, but it’s currently unavailable. However, if you explore the Amazon store, you might find what you’re looking for.
In a clever move, some publishers are selling physical gift cards for their individual games. The Untitled Goose Game version available on the Untitled Goose Shop is one such example. Consistency across developers and publishers may vary, but it’s a nice touch. Untitled Goose Game would make a lovely Christmas present.
And if we misinterpreted your intentions, and you actually wanted to buy a gift for Team Thumbsticks, you’re incredibly kind. We’re good for games – as we mentioned, we receive review copies from publishers. But if you want to buy us a coffee or support us on Patreon, that would be lovely.
