How to Buy Games from Other Regions of the eShop

Switch and Switch 2 games are not region locked, so you can buy a game from almost any country's eShop and play it on your console. People do this to grab games that are cheaper in another region (the Turkey and Hong Kong stores are often the lowest), or to get titles that are not available in their own region. You cannot change the region of an existing account, but you can create a new one for the country you want — this guide shows how, step by step.

Why would I buy games from another region of the eShop?

There are a few reasons that you might want to buy games from other regions of the eShop, with the most common being:

• The game is not available in your region.
• The game is cheaper in another region. For example, the Turkey and Hong Kong eShops often sell games a bit cheaper than the stores associated with other regions.

How do I buy games from another region?

In order to buy games from another region, you need to do two things: create an account associated with that region, and buy an eShop gift card for that region.

Step 1: Create an account on the other-region store

Simply create a free Nintendo Account that is associated with the country that you want to buy games from. Make sure that you select the correct country (the country you want to buy games from, not the country that you actually live in) when you sign up. You will have to enter a physical address when you sign up – this can be anything (just search Google for valid addresses in that country, if you like).

The one exception here is Korea – its store requires local identity verification, so it is essentially impossible to register an account unless you actually live there.

Step 2: Buy an eShop gift card for the other-region store

You will not be able to use your own credit card on your international eShop account directly, since the country your credit card was issued in must match the country of your eShop account (so you can only use a Canadian credit card to buy games in the Canadian eShop, for example). The simplest way around this is to buy an international pre-paid eShop gift card from an external website. There are a few different options for this, depending on the region for which you want to buy a card:

• Germany: Amazon.de (make sure you buy a digital card, not a physical one)
• Japan: Amazon.co.jp (make sure you buy a digital card, not a physical one)
• United Kingdom: Amazon.co.uk (make sure you buy a digital card, not a physical one)
• United States: Amazon.com (make sure you buy a digital card, not a physical one)
• Multiple regions: Playasia (Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States)

Other regions are a bit more difficult to get eShop gift cards for due to international region restrictions, but reputable card resellers and community guides for adding funds (for example to a Turkish account) can often be found online.

Step 3: Buy and play games

Once you have added funds to your other-region account's eShop wallet, you can buy games on that region's eShop. Make sure that other-region account is activated on your Switch or Switch 2, and that your Switch or Switch 2 is set as the primary device for that account. Then any games that you download on that other-region account can be played by any account on that Switch or Switch 2.

Find the cheapest region for any game

Before you buy, it pays to check where a game is actually cheapest right now. NTPrices tracks live eShop prices across 50+ regions and converts them to your currency, so you can open any game and see the cheapest regional price at a glance — then use the steps above to buy it there. Start from the Switch & Switch 2 games on sale list or the full game catalogue.

We also keep a live landing page for every store region — current prices, deals and currency info per country. See all eShop regions, or jump straight to the historically cheapest ones: the Turkish, Indian and Brazilian eShop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Switch and Switch 2 games region locked?
No. Switch and Switch 2 games are not region locked, so a game bought from another country's eShop will play on your console. Only the store account and the payment method are tied to a region, which is exactly what this guide works around.

Which eShop region is the cheapest?
It shifts with exchange rates and local pricing, but the Turkey and Hong Kong stores are often among the cheapest. NTPrices compares the same game across 50+ regions, so you can see where it is cheapest right now before you buy.

How do I change my eShop region?
You cannot change the region of an existing account, but you can create a new, free account set to the country you want to buy from, then fund it with an eShop gift card for that region. The steps below walk through it.

Is it safe to buy games from another region?
Buying from another regional eShop with a local account and a prepaid eShop gift card is a long-standing, widely used practice. Stick to reputable card sellers, and note that a small number of online services may apply region restrictions.