Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners will be able to buy digital games as gifts for members of their Nintendo Account family group next week. Eligible DLC and upgrade packs are included, but gifts will be sent immediately, so purchases cannot be held back for a birthday or holiday morning.
Nintendo's US announcement, published on November 9, lists a November 16 launch. Its Australian Switch 2 patch notes give November 17. Both consoles have received system update 23.5.0 to prepare for gifting, which still needs the separate eShop update before it becomes available.
The recipient must belong to the sender's family group, which can contain up to eight Nintendo Accounts. Nintendo says anyone with a Nintendo Account can set up a group, but supervised accounts cannot send digital gifts. Some products will also be excluded, and Nintendo will limit the number of gift purchases within a given period. The announcement does not specify that limit.
Once gifting launches, eligible eShop product pages will have a Give as a Gift checkbox. Buyers will choose a family group member and one of that person's linked systems, then select gift wrap and complete the purchase. The present arrives on the recipient's HOME Menu, where it can be accepted and played.
Systems will need version 23.5.0 or later. The US Switch update history dates the firmware's release to November 9. Owners can check their version and start a manual update through System Settings.
Switch 2's update also makes accessibility settings available during first-time setup and adds Portuguese (Portugal) to Text to Speech and GameChat's Convert Text to Speech languages. Both consoles' notes list general adjustments and fixes, but those accessibility additions are listed for Switch 2.