Nintendo is adding digital game gifting for Switch and Switch 2 family Groups

Nintendo confirmed that digital game gifting will arrive on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 after the Nintendo eShop update on November 17, 2026, and that the feature will work only within a Nintendo Account family group. Nintendo called gifting an upcoming feature in its patch notes for both systems, and said the feature works only once that eShop update arrives, not from the firmware alone.

Shacknews reported that Nintendo announced the feature on November 9, 2026, with availability set for November 16. Siliconera and IGN reported Nintendo’s confirmation that the eShop update will arrive on November 17, 2026.

Nintendo released the 23.5.0 firmware update for both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 before the eShop gifting feature arrives, and users must install that firmware before the eShop update arrives in November 2026. Shacknews reported that systems running older versions cannot accept gifts even after the eShop update arrives, and that the feature requires version 23.5.0 or greater. The update includes accessibility settings during first-time setup and offers Portuguese (Portugal) text-to-speech support, which reads on-screen text aloud, on Switch 2 only, along with general adjustments and fixes meant to improve the user experience across both systems. Nintendo did not itemize what those changes include.

Giftable digital products include games, downloadable content (DLC), and upgrade packs. Nintendo said that not every product qualifies for digital gifting, without specifying which products Nintendo excludes; the restriction covers both systems once the eShop update goes live.

A family group can include as many as eight people under one designated admin, and Nintendo allows child accounts. Nintendo says the family group is the only circle for exchanging digital gifts on its systems, so gifts can only go to people in the sender’s family group, not to friends on the friends list.

Supervised accounts are blocked from sending digital gifts, Multiplayer First calls these child accounts, and the restriction covers sending only, not receiving. Nintendo limits how many digital gift purchases can be made in a given period.

Sending a gift means visiting Nintendo eShop, checking the Give as a Gift option, completing the purchase, picking a recipient from the family group, choosing gift wrap options, and finishing the transaction. Nintendo Everything noted that the person receiving the gift can pick which linked system gets it, and the sender must finish buying it right away because the gift is delivered immediately.

A gifted item shows up on the recipient’s HOME Menu or home screen, and it can be accepted and played immediately with no download code or payment information needed. Shacknews described the present as appearing on the Nintendo Switch homescreen, while Multiplayer First said a download code or payment information is not needed once it arrives.

Siliconera reported that Family Groups already let members lend virtual game cards for as long as two weeks and belong to a shared Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership, calling these capabilities separate from gifting. Nintendo described the gifting feature as arriving in time for the holidays, and Nintendo Everything said it helps families mark special occasions with children over the holidays.