Nintendo eShop Gifting Arrives This Month: How It Works and Four Switch 2 Games to Check

Nintendo is adding digital gifting to Nintendo eShop on Switch and Switch 2 this month, in time for the holidays. Family group members will be able to buy a game on their own system and send it to another member of the group.

The official US post from November 9 says the feature will be added to Nintendo eShop on November 16. The patch notes for system version 23.5.0, as quoted by My Nintendo News, say gifting will be available after a Nintendo eShop update scheduled for November 17, 2026. If the gift option is not there on the 16th, look again after that eShop update.

Who can send a gift, and what can be gifted

Gifting is limited to family groups. Nintendo says you will be able to gift digital products you buy through Nintendo eShop on your device to family group members, and that this includes eligible games as well as DLC and upgrade packs. Anyone with a Nintendo Account can set up a family group and add members, up to 8 total.

Nintendo lists three limits in the same post. Some products may not be eligible for digital gifting. Supervised accounts are not able to send digital gifts. And the number of digital gift purchases allowed in a given period is limited. The post does not say what that number is, and it does not list which products are eligible.

How to send a gift

Nintendo's steps are short. Open Nintendo eShop on your system and find the game. On the product page, select the Give as a Gift checkbox, then proceed to purchase. Pick the recipient from the members of your family group, and pick which of their linked systems the gift goes to. Choose a gift wrap color and complete the purchase as usual.

The detail that matters for holiday planning is timing. Nintendo says gifts are sent to the recipient immediately. The gift is delivered to the recipient's HOME Menu, where it can be selected, accepted, and played right away. The post does not describe a way to schedule delivery for a later date, so a game bought on December 20 arrives on December 20.

What you need before the feature goes live

The feature works on systems running system version 23.5.0 or greater. Nintendo's post says that update was releasing November 9, 2026, and that it should download automatically if the system is connected to the internet. You can also check the current version and start the update from System Settings. The sender and the recipient need to be in the same family group before the purchase.

Four Switch 2 games to check once gifting is live

Nintendo has said some products may not be eligible, and the gift checkbox is not on store pages yet. None of the four games below is confirmed as giftable. They are current Nintendo Switch 2 releases with official store pages, and each one fits a different kind of player. Prices are left out because they change. Check the product page for the gift option after the eShop update.

Mario Kart World is the one for a full house. It is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, released June 5, 2025, and Nintendo's page says races support up to 24 drivers.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the newest of the four. It was released November 5, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo describes it as a classic tale built from the ground up for the system, with overhauled visuals, orchestral music, voice acting, and expanded cutscenes.

Pokémon Pokopia is the slower paced pick. The store page lists a release date of March 5, 2026 and calls it a relaxing life sim. You play as a Ditto and rebuild a desolate world with help from other Pokémon.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is the tactics game. The store page lists a release date of September 17, 2026. You guide four heroes through turn based battles and travel through time to defeat the demon god Balor.

The short version

Update both systems to version 23.5.0 or later, make sure the sender and the recipient are in the same family group, and look for the Give as a Gift checkbox on the product page starting November 16. If it is not there, check again after the eShop update scheduled for November 17. And buy on the day you want the gift to arrive, because Nintendo sends it right away.