Nintendo Switch adds digital game gifting within families from November 16
The feature is limited to family groups, excludes supervised accounts and some titles, and works on both Switch models.
Nintendo is adding a feature to its Switch consoles that lets players buy digital games from the eShop and send them to another player, arriving with system update 23.5.0 on November 16. Gifting works only within a family group, so a buyer can choose any member of their own family rather than any friend on a list. Accounts set as supervised cannot gift, a cap limits how many games can be bought and gifted within a set period, and some titles cannot be gifted at all. Gifts land on the recipient's console immediately rather than at a later date, which rules out scheduling a present in advance. The feature works on both the original Switch and the Switch 2, a step that brings Nintendo closer to the direct gifting Xbox already offers and Steam has long supported.
Why it matters
For families sharing one Nintendo account group, buying a game for another member becomes possible without handing over a console or an account. Supervised accounts are excluded, and a purchase cap and per-title restrictions limit how much and what can be given. Because gifts arrive immediately, they cannot be scheduled ahead of a birthday or holiday. The change matches a direct gifting option already offered on other platforms, and it reaches owners of both the original Switch and the Switch 2 at the same time.
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