Everything is off: Russians won't get access to five features of the Nintendo Switch 2

The launch of sales of the new Nintendo Switch 2 console in the world is scheduled for June 5, but buyers in Russia will face limitations in the capabilities of their gadgets — they will be deprived of legal access to the new console services. Izvestia learned that due to the limitations of Nintendo's work in the Russian Federation, gamers will be left without a number of useful features for which it is worth buying a novelty. Among them are the Nintendo eShop marketplace for the purchase of video games in digital format, voice GameChat and other services.

What will Russian gamers be deprived of in the Nintendo Switch 2

In Russia, current restrictions on the operation of Nintendo services will remain in place — both the Nintendo eShop digital store and the support service for Russians will remain unavailable, sources confirmed to Izvestia.

The launch of sales of the new Nintendo Switch 2 console in the world is scheduled for June 5. Among the new features closed to compatriots are the Nintendo eShop marketplace for purchasing video games in digital format, GameChat voice chat, for which there is even a separate button on the Nintendo Switch 2 gamepad, the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, the option to transfer games to a friend for joint online GameShare sessions, and actions with digital versions of Virtual Game Card cartridges. In addition, users will not receive the official after-sales service that was provided for the first-generation Nintendo Switch during the operation of Nintendo Russia in the country.

In May 2025, the company updated its security policy, and now the organization reserves the right to block your device for "unauthorized use" of games and services, including piracy and emulation. Also, for moderation and security purposes, the console will record the last three minutes of voice chat and video chat. At the same time, users with Russian accounts will not be able to use these tools out of the box, that is, without registering accounts in other regions and changing their IP addresses.

Japanese scoring: the Nintendo Switch 2 console will receive support for the Russian language

What other surprises await Russian gamers

Such accounts can be blocked, although no mass bans have been noticed so far for a simple change of region. However, if the use of stolen data, fraudulent payments or multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions is revealed, the company may resort to blocking, especially with the updated user agreement, recalled IT expert Daniil Arzhakov.

— Most likely, Nintendo will maintain restrictions for Russians even after the release of Switch 2 — at least as long as international sanctions are in effect. Because of them, the company has suspended official shipments, digital purchases and service support in Russia," he said.

Earlier, Izvestia reported that, despite the restrictions for the Russian Federation, the console will receive support for the Russian language, and some games such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza will also be localized.

What problems await Russian players?

According to Yaroslav Meshalkin, managing partner of the Heads'made digital communications agency, interest in the Japanese corporation's products among Russian gamers remains consistently high, despite the formal unavailability of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the eShop digital store in Russia. The expert sees the special cultural status of the Nintendo brand as the reason.

— Gamers continue to register accounts in other countries — most often in Poland, Turkey or Argentina — in order to maintain access to the game library and digital purchases. The risks of blocking such accounts today are rather theoretical, however, in the case of mass use of gray payment schemes or account trading, individual measures such as restricting access to the eShop are quite possible," he added.

The reasons why Russian users go to considerable lengths to access Nintendo content lie on an emotional plane. This is nostalgia, fan loyalty and the desire to play projects that have no analogues on other platforms, suggested Yaroslav Meshalkin.

—Nintendo will offer all the free services that it has, while it actually has an approach like Google's — Russians can get free services, but only what they need to pay for is limited,— said Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group.

The expert believes that for Russian players, the main problem will remain the comfortable payment of games, obtaining accounts and saving them. After all, domestic gamers have been acting on bird rights since 2022 and cannot even achieve justice, because as soon as it becomes clear that they are from Russia, they are denied service for various services, even if they have found workarounds, he noted.

— Blocking of Russian players is extremely rare in reality, but they do happen. In the case of Switch 2, they are potentially possible. At best, a person loses progress in their games, at worst, an account, and with it access to purchased games and add—ons," added Eldar Murtazin.

Despite the restrictions, users showed interest in the first installment of the Nintendo Switch 2. After opening pre-order, more than 100 consoles were sold out in the first three hours. The initial quota for the console was increased twice, and, as noted by the head of the Game Development and Gaming Community department at M.Video–Eldorado" Sergey Mezin, the first results of pre-orders of the Nintendo Switch 2 in the company showed a high interest in the console. However, he noted that worldwide pre-orders have been closed for some time due to limited quotas for the console and explosive hype.

"Since the presentation of the NS2, we have recorded a 20% increase in sales of cartridges for the first generation of the console, as their compatibility with the new console has been confirmed," he added.

The average price for a new-generation Nintendo Switch 2 console in Russia on pre-order varies from 50 to 65 thousand, depending on the configuration and marketplace.