Nintendo has opened a small new door in its digital storefront: with system version 23.5.0 on both the Switch and Switch 2, a player can now purchase an eShop title for another person, though only for those within their own family group. It is a modest step, shaped by a company whose identity rests on keeping play close to home, and it will not take effect until the eShop's November 17 update. Like many gifts, its meaning lies less in the transaction than in the care taken over who is allowed to receive it.
Nintendo Switch Update Adds eShop Gifting, But Only Within Family Groups
Gifts are sent to your recipient immediately, so be sure you're ready.
Mark
So the update is out, but you can't actually gift anything yet?
Mimi
Right. Version 23.5.0 is installed on Switch and Switch 2, but gifting turns on after an eShop update scheduled for November 17.
Mark
And who can you give to?
Mimi
Only members of your Nintendo Account family group, up to eight people in total. Not your friends list, which is how Steam handles it.
Luke
Worth saying that the friends-list comparison is the reporter's framing. Nintendo hasn't said whether it plans to widen the circle, so calling this a first step is an interpretation, not a confirmed roadmap.
Mark
What about the games themselves?
Mimi
Only eligible games, DLC and upgrade packs. Nintendo says some products may not qualify, and supervised accounts can't send gifts at all.
Luke
We also don't know which titles are excluded, or what the cap on gift purchases per period actually is. The source says a limit exists but gives no number.
Mark
Anything practical for buyers to know?
Mimi
Gifts arrive immediately. Nintendo's own page tells people to be sure they're ready before buying.
Luke
And the patch notes only say there are general fixes. Nothing else about 23.5.0 is confirmed.
O Pulso
- Players who have long wanted to gift games are finding the feature arrives with firm limits: only family group members, up to eight people, can receive anything.
- Supervised accounts are shut out from sending gifts, and not every eShop title qualifies, which leaves some buyers unsure what they can actually give.
- Nintendo's English-language guide is already published, walking buyers through choosing a recipient, picking a linked system, and selecting gift wrap before purchase.
- Because gifts arrive immediately with no scheduled delivery, buyers are being urged to double-check recipients, and the real test comes when the November 17 update goes live.
Nintendo has opened a small new door in its digital storefront: with system version 23.5.0 on both the Switch and Switch 2, a player can now purchase an eShop title for another person, though only for those within their own family group. It is a modest step, shaped by a company whose identity rests on keeping play close to home, and it will not take effect until the eShop's November 17 update. Like many gifts, its meaning lies less in the transaction than in the care taken over who is allowed to receive it.
Nintendo's version 23.5.0 update, now rolling out across the Switch and Switch 2, brings a feature many players have been requesting: buying an eShop game and giving it to someone else. The rule is that the recipient must belong to your Nintendo Account family group, which holds up to eight people. Friends lists are not included, which sets Nintendo's approach apart from Steam and other platforms.
The feature is not active yet. It arrives with the eShop update scheduled for November 17, though Nintendo's explanatory page is already online. Eligibility is narrower than it might first appear. Only designated games, DLC and upgrade packs qualify, supervised accounts cannot send gifts, and there is a cap on how many gifts can be bought within a set period.
The purchase flow is simple: select the game, tick Give as a Gift, pick a family member and one of their linked systems, choose a wrap color, and buy. Gifts are delivered at once, so anyone planning a surprise will need to time the purchase carefully. The rest of the update is described only as general improvements. The real picture will emerge once families can try the feature on November 17.
Nintendo has pushed out system software version 23.5.0 for both the Switch and the Switch 2, and the headline addition is something players have long asked for: the ability to buy a game from the eShop and give it to someone else. The catch is who that someone can be.
Gifts can only go to members of your Nintendo Account family group, which tops out at eight people in total. Friends-list gifting, the kind Steam and some other gaming platforms offer, is not part of the package. IGN Southeast Asia, reporting on the update, described it as a start, and noted that a cautious, step-by-step rollout fits a company known for its family-friendly image.
The feature is also not usable yet. According to the patch notes, gifting becomes available after a Nintendo eShop update scheduled for November 17. Even so, Nintendo's English-language page explaining the feature is already live, and it lays out how the system will work.
Not everything in the store will qualify. Gifting covers games Nintendo designates as eligible, along with DLC and upgrade packs. Nintendo itself says some products may not be eligible for digital gifting. There are further limits: supervised accounts cannot send digital gifts, and the number of gift purchases allowed within a given period is capped.
Nintendo's own walkthrough is short. You open the eShop on your console and find the game you want to give. On the product page, you tick the Give as a Gift checkbox and proceed to purchase. You then choose the recipient from the members of your family group, and you can also pick which of their linked systems should receive it. After choosing a gift wrap color and other options, you complete the purchase as usual.
One detail in that process deserves attention: gifts reach the recipient immediately. Nintendo's page warns buyers to be sure they are ready before confirming, which suggests there is no scheduled delivery, so anyone hoping to hide a surprise until a particular day will need to time the purchase themselves.
The rest of version 23.5.0 is described only in general terms. Nintendo says it makes general adjustments and fixes to improve the user experience, without giving specifics.
The next date to watch is November 17. Once the eShop update lands, family groups will be able to try the feature for the first time, and it will become clear how restrictive the eligibility rules and purchase limits feel in practice.
Citações Notáveis
Gifts are sent to your recipient immediately, so be sure you're ready.— Nintendo, eShop gifting page
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Leia o original em IGN Southeast Asia ↗