

The good news is that those games are tied to your Nintendo Account, and you'll be able to redownload them on the new system as long as it's linked to the same account. If you download your Switch games from the eShop, things are a bit trickier. Just pop the card out of one system and pop it in to the other. If you enjoy your Switch games on physical cards, sharing them between systems is pretty straightforward. That system is pretty seamless-I was able to start a game of Into the Breach on one Switch and start it at the same point on another Switch minutes later without any manual work. If you want to juggle save data between the systems in perpetuity, though, you're better off with the $20 annual subscription (or a $35 family membership if you're sharing with people using different Nintendo Accounts). If you only want to perform this transfer once, you can just buy a one-month, $4 subscription and cancel it after you're done.

Instead, you'll need to sign up for the Nintendo Switch Online service, which includes the ability to transfer cloud saves. To copy your save data over while keeping it intact on the source console, you can't just pop out the SD card and copy the files over (that will just earn you a warning saying the SD card is tied to another console and that it will need to be formatted to work on a new one). This seems pretty handy until you discover that "the transferred user and save data will be deleted from the source console." That's not ideal unless you plan on getting rid of the original console.

You can also create a new user on the system and link it to a Nintendo Account later.Īt this point, Nintendo offers the ability to wirelessly transfer user information and save data from the original Switch to the new system.

If that account isn't linked on the original system, you'll have the opportunity to do so before continuing. Presuming the answer to both questions is yes, the system will ask you to link the new system to your existing Nintendo account. The system will ask if you currently have the Switch from which you want to import data and if you'll be keeping that original system going forward. When you first turn on your second Switch, you're offered the opportunity to import your account and user data created on another Switch. To help clarify the whole process, here's a quick run-down of how juggling software and accounts between multiple Switch units works in practice. This is definitely doable, but there are some important caveats to keep in mind, especially if you purchase downloadable games from the eShop. Further Reading Nintendo Switch Lite is the best portable system Nintendo has ever madeWith the launch of the Switch Lite this week, a lot of families are going to be adding a second, more portable Switch to their household.
