Nintendo is closing down the Switch eShop for over a billion people but you can claim four free games

The Switch, Nintendo’s most recent system, is incredibly popular worldwide and has been one of the company’s best-selling models.

With a population of over a billion and a penchant for technology, China is one of the largest gaming marketplaces, thus it makes sense to release games there.

Some launches are more challenging, though, because China has some of the harshest regulations about what can be launched there.

The Nintendo Switch was not released in China until 2020, although it was released in the majority of areas in 2017.

This is because the Japanese corporation had to collaborate with a Chinese company, Tencent, which was the game publishing behemoth for the Switch.

But according to recent announcements from Tencent and Nintendo, Switch eShop features will stop operating in China in a few years.

Sales and other online services will cease on March 31, 2026, while the eShop will cease download and redemption services on March 15, 2026.

Although the cause of the closure is unknown, there is conjecture as to why things might have turned out differently.

It’s possible that Nintendo has dissolved its collaboration with Tencent or is searching for an other Chinese business to collaborate with on the Switch 2 release.

Nintendo and Tencent are handing away four free first-party titles to Chinese Switch gamers, so it’s not all bad news.

Four games from a vast library of Nintendo titles are available for redemption by users who link their Switch to their WeChat account.

The games that are available to you are as follows:

• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Super Mario Party
• Mario Tennis Aces
• Yoshi’s Crafted World
• Flexible Brain School
• Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Exercises
• Kirby Star Allies
• New Pok mon Snap
• Pok mon Let s Go! Pikachu
• Pok mon Let’s Go! Eevee

Mario Party

The closure of the Nintendo Switch eShop in China is probably the result of partnership agreements rather than Nintendo’s overarching ambitions.

I wouldn’t worry about an eShop closure anytime soon if you’re a Switch player in a different part of the planet.

Check out the newest games on Nintendo Switch Online to learn more about the Switch.