Nintendo adds digital gifting to Switch and Switch 2 system update 23.5.0

Nintendo shared details of a digital gifting feature for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 via system update 23.5.0, which the company released on November 10, 2026.

The feature lets family group members gift digital games to one another through Nintendo eShop, Nintendo’s digital storefront. Users create family groups through a Nintendo Account, and groups can include up to eight members total. A sender visits Nintendo eShop, marks Give as a Gift on a product page, selects which family group member receives it and which linked system gets it, picks gift wrap options, and completes it.

The delivered gift appears on the recipient’s HOME Menu, the console’s main screen, where the recipient can open, accept, and use it right away. Nintendo says the gift reaches the recipient’s account immediately once the purchase finishes. Multiplayer First reports that the receiving console is the one linked to the Nintendo Account used as the shipping address, and that the recipient does not need payment information or a download code to accept it.

Users can gift eligible games, downloadable content, and upgrade packs, though Nintendo cautions that some items are not eligible for digital gifting. Nintendo also places a cap on digital gift purchases within a set timeframe but does not state the exact number. Nintendo says accounts under supervision are not allowed to send digital gifts. Multiplayer First reports that child accounts may not send gifts.

Nintendo points to situations like buying a game for a child to play or giving a game for a birthday or anniversary. The company says the feature comes just in time for the holiday season. Nintendo provided Nintendo Everything with a first look and full rundown of the gifting feature details.

Nintendo Everything reports that the gifting feature becomes usable during the week following its November 10, 2026 report. Shacknews reports that Nintendo announced on November 9, 2026 that the feature would reach the eShop on both consoles on November 16.

Nintendo’s patch notes say the gifting feature becomes available only after a separate Nintendo eShop update set for November 17, 2026. Shacknews reports that the feature works only on system version 23.5.0 or newer. According to Multiplayer First’s November 10, 2026 report, Nintendo had already started rolling out the Switch 2 system update.

On the Switch 2, the update also adds a choice to configure accessibility settings during the console’s initial setup. Accessibility settings let users adjust how the console works to suit their needs. It also adds Portuguese (Portugal) as a language for Text to Speech, which turns on-screen text into spoken words, and GameChat Convert Text to Speech, the voice chat feature, now also offers Portuguese (Portugal). Nintendo also made general fixes and adjustments meant to improve the user experience across both updates.