Can you get a refund for Nintendo switch eshop games?

If you bought or plan to buy a Switch game, you might be wondering if you can get a refund for Nintendo Switch eShop games.

You cannot get a refund for Nintendo Switch eShop games unless it is for a pre-ordered game that is at least seven days away from its release date. You can cancel a pre-ordered Nintendo Switch game through the account portal on the Nintendo website or eShop.

I’ve had several Nintendo Switch games I’ve regretted buying or bought by mistake, so I understand how beneficial it would be to be able to refund a Nintendo Switch eShop game. I’ll go over the limited ways you can get a refund and tell you how to prevent buying games you may not like.

What Are The Benefits Of Buying Nintendo Switch eShop Games?

The Nintendo Switch eShop lets me browse through a wide selection of games and perform fast searches for specific game titles.

Rather than wasting my time by driving to a store for a physical copy of a Switch game, I could download and start playing the game within minutes.

I can also save money by not having to pay the gas needed to get me to the store and back.

Buying Nintendo Switch eShop games also helps me to better manage my game library and not worry about damaging physical game discs.

Can I Get A Refund On Games From The Nintendo Switch eShop?

Since video games for the Nintendo Switch are quite expensive nowadays, I want to be able to get the most value out of my gaming budget.

I don’t want to end up spending my hard-earned money on Switch games I may not end up liking after a few plays.

One of the major downsides to buying a game through the Nintendo Switch eShop is they have a relatively strict refund policy.

For the most part, games that are purchased and downloaded through the eShop cannot be refunded.

The only way customers can get a refund for an online game is if the Nintendo Switch game is pre-ordered.

A customer can generally receive a full refund on a game purchased through the Nintendo Switch eShop if the cancel request is more than seven days from the release date.

How Do I Get A Refund On Pre-Ordered Nintendo Switch eShop Games?

Follow these instructions to get a refund on pre-ordered games through the Nintendo Switch eShop:

• Go to the account in the Nintendo Switch eShop that was used to purchase the pre-ordered game.
• Choose the icon of the user account.
• Go to the section called Your Pre-orders.
• Select the pre-ordered game you want refunded and choose Cancel.

You can also get a refund on a pre-ordered Nintendo Switch eShop game through the Nintendo website:

• Go to the accounts section of nintendo.com.
• Sign in to your Nintendo account.
• Go to the Shop section.
• Go to the section called Your Pre-orders.
• Find the Switch game you want to have refunded and choose Cancel.

Avoid Buying Nintendo Switch eShop Games You Won’t Like

If you are not sure whether you’ll like a Nintendo Switch game or not, below are some suggestions you should consider.

Try to do as much research as you can about a game before buying it through the Nintendo Switch eShop

There are so many media outlets and other information sources today that can make it easy for you to find tons of information about a Switch game.

Some of the most common sources for game information include gaming magazines, websites, blogs, and YouTube channels.

There are even information sources that focus most or all of their content on Nintendo.

You can likely read extensive reviews on games that talk about various aspects of a Switch game including storylines, controls, characters, and special features.

For more reliable reviews, you should follow reviewers whose opinions have closely matched your opinions on other games.

If a reviewer you like gives a Switch game a positive review, there’s a good chance you’ll want to keep the game instead and not want a refund.

There are loads of videos from people on YouTube and other outlets that can show you actual gameplay of the game you’re interested in.

For Nintendo Switch games that are not yet released, you can likely find great information about the game through game conferences such as the Electronic Entertainment Experience (E3).

Nintendo is a perennial exhibitor at E3, so they can probably give you a solid rundown of all of an upcoming game’s features and provide walkthroughs and video clips of the game.

If you’re not in a rush to buy a Switch game through the Nintendo Switch eShop, you should try playing the game at a store or a friend’s house before buying it.

Though reading articles and watching videos about a game can be helpful, you should play the game as much as possible to get a more complete understanding of the game.

After you’ve played the game long enough and decided to buy it, you can download it from the Nintendo Switch eShop with more confidence you’ll like it.

Is The Nintendo Switch eShop Refund Policy Unfair?

If you think it’s unfair you can’t refund a standard game from the Nintendo Switch eShop, you should know that Nintendo’s relatively strict refund policies on digital items are quite similar at other websites.

Digital items such as movies, music, audiobooks, television shows, eBooks, and software often have strict refund policies attached to them.

Digital items that are stored on physical discs or other media may also have strict limits on refunds, even if they were purchased at a store.

For instance, companies like GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy might only allow refunds on Nintendo Switch games if the game was not opened or significantly damaged.

Key Takeaways

• Refunds on games from the Nintendo Switch eShop are mostly limited to pre-ordered games that are at least seven days from their release date.
• Customers cannot get a refund on standard games purchased from Nintendo Switch eShop or pre-ordered games that are less than seven days away from their release date.
• You should avoid buying a Switch game you may want refunded by viewing articles, reviews, videos, and other content about the game before buying it.