Nintendo Switch is region free and we are very happy about that!
Nintendo has made it possible so that not only you can use games from other countries on every Nintendo Switch console; You can now also shop in the US or Japanese eShop, without being stopped by an invisible wall.
Why is a US account, useful for instance?
Imagine a game that is cheaper than in the EU eShop? Sometimes in other regions there also other sales and as your console is region free, this is a bonus. In addition, the price is $ compared to € can also be very welcome.
Imagine purchasing an import game with extra DLC. Then the DLC can not be used by the European store. You must redeem your purchase in the corresponding region. Yeah a little bit sad but IT IS POSSIBLE if you know how.
Another example; region-specific demos, trying something out first is always nice!
Important; Such content is then also simply playable with your normal user account.
How do I create an account for a different region?
It is very easy to do this. But you have to take some things into consideration but we will explain it in detail.
How do you access the Japanese or American eShop?
Step 1: Create a new account to Nintendo
Go to https://accounts.nintendo.com/ and create a new account for the eShop region of your choice. Make sure you use a different email address for each account and you use a real email address because you need to verify the account via a code that was sent by Nintendo.
Step 2: Create a new user on your Switch
This can be done via System Settings> User> Add New User.
Agree when asked whether you want to link account, and log in with the user credentials of the account you just created for the eShop of your choice. Your account is then linked and you can now visit the eShop of the region that was set when you create this account.
Repeat these steps for each foreign eShop you want to visit. We have limited ourselves to the US and JP eShops.
Once you have created your foreign account(s) on the Nintendo Switch, you can start shopping. Open the eShop on the Nintendo Switch menu and you will be prompted to choose an account. Now select one of the users that you’ve linked to a foreign Nintendo account and you’re in!
Step 3: Be able to pay
Here it CAN get somewhat more difficult if you have a credit card. You can try to add balance or purchase something in a foreign eShop. But we have heard from various channels that it does not always seem to work. This is because your credit card may be bound to a region. (Yes, and that in 2017 … right) or payments to certain regions are not allowed by default (which you can often disable through your credticard provider)
But fortunately you can also use PayPal, something we still hugely appreciate.
What kind of things can you do extra in the American and Japanese eShop?
The eShop is updated every week and the games that are available in different eShops often differ by region. Sometimes games still release earlier in another region, this is because they still need to be localized (translated) for a specific region. But often the English language is available. With Japanese titles it always advised to look in advance properly, or you obviously need to be able to speak and read Japanese.
It certainly pays to visit a foreign account occasionally and take a look beyond the digital borders also if you are considering an import game every now and again. We wish you lots of shopping and gaming pleasure!
Have you ever used a ‘foreign’ eShop?