Is the Switch Region Locked? Is Switch eShop Region Locked?

The following article covers many topics related to Switch region locked games, region locked eShops, and region free content.

Is the Nintendo Switch Region Locked?

Out of the box, physical Nintendo Switch game cards are not region locked and can be played across multiple regions across the world. That being said, Nintendo has stated that Nintendo Switch games which are sold in the U.S. have not been tested in all other regions and locations across the world. They further explain that some games may not be fully supported in other regions that they were not initially intended for.

No, the Nintendo Switch is not region locked and should be able to play games from any other region, but Nintendo has gone on record stating that they cannot guarantee all games will function properly in every single region.

The following Nintendo Switch region locked information comes directly from Nintendo’s official support website:

Nintendo Switch game cards are not region locked.

Although Nintendo Switch software sold in regions outside of the Americas will work with Nintendo Switch systems sold in the Americas, we have not tested all overseas software with systems from all regions and cannot guarantee full service and support. Therefore, we recommend that players purchase software that is specifically made for their Nintendo Switch system’s region.

It is safe to assume that the vast majority of Switch games should work perfectly fine regardless of the region that you reside in.

Is the Nintendo Switch eShop Region Locked?

The Nintendo Switch eShop is not region locked and players may change their Switch’s default region settings at any time. Nintendo has given players the ability to change their region because users move physical locations all of the time. A player’s initial region may be the United States when they first purchase a Switch, but if a player later move to Japan, they need the ability to then update their Switch consoles settings and update their region.

In order to change the country of residence, you will need to do so in your Nintendo Account settings after you have agreed to the Nintendo Account User Agreement and Privacy Policy for that country. After users have accepted the terms, their Switch eShop Region will be changed to the new country the next time they connect to the service.

This gives players the option to access various different eShop regions, but it is important to note that a user’s Nintendo eShop account balance will not carry over to the new region after a user has changed their Nintendo Account country.

Note: The only known Switch eShop to be region locked is the China eShop. The eShop on teh Tencent Nintendo Switch is region locked and only a small number of games are available for players that live in China. Physical game cards from other regions may be played on the Tencent Switch, but Nintendo Switch Online is not available in China and players will not be able to access Nintendo’s servers.

Are Nintendo eShop Cards Region Locked?

Nintendo eShop cards are region locked and players may only use them in the Nintendo eShop region or country that they were intended to be used with. Nintendo eShop prepaid cards that are intended for other countries aren’t refundable and may not be exchanged. Be careful when purchasing Nintendo eShop cards online and make sure that the eShop card you are buying is in fact for the region that your system uses, otherwise you will be out of luck.

Is Switch DLC Region Locked?

Switch DLC is region locked in the sense that a game’s DLC will work with games that were released in the same region as the DLC. If you want to be sure that a game’s DLC will be available to play in your region after purchase, you may do so with the following:

• Find the supported region for a Switch game by checking the back of the game’s box or by visiting the game’s menu options. You may select the game’s menu options by pressing the “-” or “+” button on the controller while on the Home menu with the game currently outlined.

• From the menu that appears, click “Software Information” and then “Support Information”.
• You should then see a list of supported regions for the game and if your Switch region is listed there, then the DLC for that game should be compatible for your region.

Note: if you are attempting to purchase Switch DLC specific to a particular region, for example buying Japanese Splatoon DLC while having a Switch region of United States, this likely will not be compatible as Splatoon DLC often has Japanese exclusive items, gear, etc. If you are purchasing Switch DLC from your currently eShop region, then you don’t need to worry if it will be compatible as this is your system’s default region and you shouldn’t have any issues.

For any further information or support on Nintendo Switch region locks, you may visit the official Nintendo support website for your region by following this link.