Chinese Nintendo Switch users in limbo as Tencent winds down online services for console
Online game sales for the Chinese Nintendo Switch will cease on March 31, 2026, while other related services will end weeks later on May 15
The Tencent-operated eShop for the Chinese Nintendo Switch console will stop selling or offering paid and free video games and software on March 31, 2026, according to a statement published on Tuesday on the console’s mainland website. Certain downloads and code redemptions, as well as other online services, will be shut down several weeks later on May 15.
To compensate affected users, Tencent said it will offer four Nintendo games free of charge from a list of titles that include Super Mario Odyssey and Pokemon: Let’s Go! Pikachu.
Both Tencent, which runs the world’s largest video-gaming business by revenue, and Kyoto-based Nintendo did not state the reason for ending local online support for the Chinese Switch consoles.
