Hit play on this video to set the mood, then read on…
Ever been scrolling through Twitter and noticed someone playing a game on there that for some reason isn’t available in your country? Or seen a game release that you’re so excited for and then, again, realise it’s not available for you? Annoying, right?. But now, you don’t need to worry thanks to the Nintendo Switch’s region free capabilities. But, oddly enough, not many people make use of this! There’s nothing to fear, it’s easy. Read on, we’ll show you!
Lets-a-go!
So, first things first, head on over to https://accounts.nintendo.com/ and select to create a new account. It should look something like this:
Next up, fill out the relevant details. You will need to use a different email address for each country so you may need to create a completely new email account if you only have one. Make sure you select the relevant Country I.E Japan.
After that, it’s pretty plain sailing! You will receive a verification code to the email address you entered. Follow those instructions and your account will be set up! Now all that is left to do is to put that account on your Nintendo Switch! You didn’t think we were gonna leave you high and dry did ya?
Okay, go to system settings on your Nintendo Switch, go down to ‘User’ and then ‘Add User’. With us so far? Good. Select yourself a beautiful user image and fitting display name and then it’s time to link your newly created Nintendo Account!
Upon clicking ‘Sign in and Link’ you will be required to enter your login credentials. Use the ones you just created for your Japanese account and VWA-LAH! That’s it. If you followed my instructions correctly, you will have full access to the Japanese or US eShop or both! Just re-do the steps using a different email address and selecting the country you desire.
Actually paying for these games can be a little tricky though. For the North American (NA) eshop, head to PC Game Supply, where you can buy either US or Canadian credit. Personally, we recommend setting up a Canadian account and when asked to do so, set your region to Alberta. The tax rate is lower there so you’ll pay less for your games (sales tax isn’t included on the store page, but added at checkout).
If you set up a South Africa eshop account, you can benefit from cheaper EU games (Nintendo of South Africa is looked after by Nintendo of Europe). I’ve found when purchasing games in ZAR it’s best to sign up for a Revolut account. It’s super simple to do and an absolute godsend when abroad. Revolut offers you real-time exchange rates with no fees, giving you a realistic representation of your currency. You’ll get a virtual card for free when you sign up, and converting your hard-earned [insert local currency here} into different forms of money can all be handled effortlessly through the app. Sign up for a Revolut account, here.
South African accounts can be used to redeem EU codes and Canadian accounts likewise for codes hailing from NA. Worth bearing in mind if you’re reviewing games or mad into Twitter giveaways.
One final thing. If you set up an alt. account, the Japanese and/or US news will appear in your news feed.
Happy bargain hunting!
Aaaand a pretty nifty and handy site to have bookmarked for region switching and making the best deal out there is savecoins.app! There you’ll see both what’s on sale and not, and can easily compare prices in different regions – finding out where to get a game at its lowest price ^^