Changing the region on your Nintendo Switch allows you to play cartridges in other regions and buy region-locked games from the Nintendo eShop.
Next, we’ll show you how to change the system area of your Nintendo Switch and how to buy games from different eShop areas.
Why should I change the area of the Nintendo switch?
You can choose one of the following regions on your Switch：
Japan.
The Americas.
Europe.
Australia/New Zealand.
Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea.
Changing the area of your Nintendo Switch is a different process, depending on what you want to do. If you want to play a game purchased in another country (for example, if you purchased The First of the Wild in Japan), then you’ll need to change your region through the settings menu. This is the only way to play games purchased in other regions.
If you want to browse online stores in another region, play games that are locked in by the region, or get a regional discount to save money on Switch games, you’ll need to create another Nintendo account and link it to The Switch’s new profile. You cannot switch eShop regions within the same user account.
How to Play Switch Cartridges From Other Regions
These steps will show you how to change your region in order to play cassettes from other regions on your Switch. After changing the region, you need to restart your console.
1. Open the main menu on your Nintendo switch.
2. Open the System Settings menu at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Scroll down and select the System menu.
4. Scroll down the options on the right side of the screen and select Regions.
5. Select a region.
6. Select Accept to accept the End User License Agreement.
7. Click Restart.
You’ll need to follow these steps every time you wish to play a cartridge from another region.
How to Browse the Nintendo eShop From Another Region
First, you need to create a new Nintendo account from the Nintendo website. Once you’ve done the job, you’ll need to add a new user to your Switch.
1. Open the home menu on your Nintendo Switch.
2. Open the System Settings menu at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Scroll down and select the User menu.
4. Select Add user from the options on the right side of the screen.
5. Select Create a new user.
6. Select a user icon and create a name.
7. Select Sign in and Link to connect your new Nintendo account to this user.
When you open eShop on Switch, you’ll be prompted to select one of your user accounts. If you’re just buying games with this account, we recommend naming it after that region so you don’t get confused about which account is associated with which region.
Visit each region of the Nintendo Switch game
You can now access and play Switch games in other regions. While you can access most games in most regions, there are also a few games that are only available in each region. However, this should give you a richer choice.
