How to redeem a Nintendo eShop card

Nintendo codes are 16 characters and redeem to your Nintendo Account. Switch 2 uses exactly the same system as the original Switch, so these steps apply to both.

On the console

1. Connect the console to the internet.
2. Select the Nintendo eShop icon on the HOME menu.
3. Choose the account you want to use — this matters if more than one user shares the console.
4. Select Redeem Code on the left side of the screen.
5. Enter the 16-character code and select Confirm.
6. The download starts automatically once the code is accepted.

Online, without the console

Sign in to your Nintendo Account on Nintendo''s redemption page, enter the 16-character code, re-enter your password when prompted, and select Redeem. One requirement: you must have opened the eShop on your Switch or Switch 2 with that account at least once before online redemption works.

If the console is in sleep mode and connected to Wi-Fi, the game downloads in the background.

Two traps specific to Nintendo

Download code or control number? Some retailer cards print both. The download code is the one you want — no hyphens, and it usually begins with a B. The control number has hyphens and typically begins with an S. Entering the control number is the single most common mistake with Nintendo cards.

Letters that do not exist. Nintendo codes never use O, I or Z, and the on-screen keyboard disables them. If you think you see an O, it is a zero. If you think you see an I, it is a one. This catches people out constantly.

Region matters here too

Your Nintendo Account must be set to a country where the eShop is available, and the code must match that region. A code for one regional eShop will not redeem on an account set to another.

You may also see a message that a code is for software containing content only accessible on Switch 2. That means you are trying to redeem Switch 2 content on an original Switch — the code is fine, the console is the mismatch.

If the code is rejected

Work through these in order: are you entering the download code rather than the control number; have you mistaken a zero for an O or a one for an I; does the code region match your account; has the code already been used? That covers nearly every failure.

If it still fails, contact our support team with a screenshot of the error message and we will check it against our records.

See our Nintendo Switch page for consoles, games and accessories.