How to share your Nintendo Switch games with a friend

Sharing digital titles is possible, but not so easy

One of the most unknown functions by Nintendo Switch users is the ability to share digital games on multiple consoles. The shared use It is a process that will allow you to use a single copy of a video game on several devices, similar to when you leave a physical copy to someone. However, this process is designed with a family with multiple consoles in mind rather than friends, as the system has a number of quirks They make the process a bit difficult on purpose.

As you know, every game you buy on the Nintendo eShop of the Nintendo Switch is linked to a Nintendo Account. Well, the first thing you must do to have the same digital game on two consoles is to log into the second console with the same Nintendo account that you bought the title for.

But no, the thing does not stop there. Each Nintendo Account can be associated with one main or secondary console. Suppose we have a Nintendo Switch OLED (main) and a Lite (secondary) at home. In both we are going to use the same Nintendo account. If with my Nintendo account I have bought Pokémon Shining Diamond, with my OLED Switch I will be able to access all the online functions of the game without any type of impediment. However, if my partner wants to play the same game on his Switch Lite, he will have to meet a series of requirements.

Requirements to play digital games on a secondary account

1. The console secondary needs to Internet access permanent to be able to play any shared video game.
2. On the other hand, the main console You can use the games whether you havee connection as if not.
3. If the Nintendo servers detect that the two consoles are trying use the same game at the same time (that is, you are playing simultaneously with a single license), the system will prevent it, giving priority to the main console.
4. Will exist limitations when playing certain titles, as we will see later.

How to Share a Nintendo Switch Digital Game

This method that we are going to explain It is not official and it does not have any kind of support from Nintendo. The Nintendo America website explains the process a bit, but without going into details. Despite this, we can confirm one hundred percent that it works.

1. Buy a digital game in the Nintendo eShop, either through the console itself or from the web on your personal computer.
2. The game will be installed on your main console, as usual.
3. Go to the eShop and click on your username in the upper right corner of the interface.
4. Go to the end and there will be a selector that will ask you if that is you main console. Uncheck it.
5. On the other console, create a new user. To do this, go to Settings, Users and Add User.
6. Fill in the fields and in the last step, use the same account from Nintendo with which you bought the game in the first step.
7. The console will automatically be established as main.
8. Go back to the Nintendo eShop and download the games you bought with your Nintendo account.
9. Reverse the primary and secondary roles if necessary so that each console has priority over the games that each user has purchased.

Disadvantages of Game Sharing

1. You will not be able to play in cooperative mode. Even if you have the same game on two consoles at the same time, you will not be able to use cooperative games with a single license, since it is impossible to run the title on both consoles while maintaining Internet connectivity.
2. Privacy. This method is identical to the one we have seen on other consoles such as PlayStation, and requires us to login with our Nintendo username and password on another console. If this Switch is our property, no problem. But if the console with which we are going to share is from a friend, it may give us some qualms enter our data. Needless to say do not carry out this process with a stranger, since you will put your account, your games and even your bank account at risk.
3. Be careful what you do on the main Switch. If you delete the user from your main console, you will load all the save data of your games unless you have a backup made on Nintendo Switch Online. The secondary account does not guarantee that you will be able to recover your data if it was not previously in the Nintendo cloud.
4. The game will stop on the secondary console at the moment when the console does not have Internet. If you play on a site with bad coverage or you stray too far from the router, you run the risk of your game stopping suddenly.
5. You will only be able to play with the account that purchased the game. This is quite an important factor. Even if you see your game in your main menu, you can only use it with the account that your friend created on your console. However, on the main console, any user can start the game without any problem.

Is this method worth it?

Yes and no. We have already seen that the Nintendo Switch catalog has improved a lot compared to its beginnings. But nevertheless, the prices of their securities remain static over time, without going down a single euro in years. This method is great if we want share with friends games that we no longer play very often, especially if they are titles that do not have online capabilities or even if they already bore us.

Similarly, it is also interesting cross-process. Let your friend share his library with you also on your console. In this way, you will be able to discover new titles that surely you would never have bought because you did not have previous references.

Still, the method is somewhat cumbersome and Nintendo has purposely made it that way so that users don’t take too much advantage of the system. Nevertheless, if you have trusted friends and you want to share your purchases, the method without a doubt, worth.