Nintendo Switch online services will be discontinued in China in 2026

Tencent Nintendo Switch has announced that it will end online services for the Switch in China in 2026.

In a statement posted online (thanks, Chinese Nintendo), the company explains that e-shop purchases will be discontinued on March 31, 2026. Code redemption will then be discontinued May 15, 2026 alongside all other internet services.

Of course, this only affects official Switch consoles sold in China.

According to the statement, Tencent is offering Nintendo Switch users the opportunity to redeem up to four free codes for Switch games when they log into the WebChat service through the console, possibly as a thank you or as compensation for the shutdown. Games on offer include games like Super Mario Odyssey, Pokémon and Let’s Go! Pikachu, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

It is not known for certain why this decision was made, although unconfirmed sources highlighted by Chinese Nintendo indicate that the online service in China was operated by a long-time partner of Nintendo. However, unspecified changes in the way the partner conducts its business will result in it no longer being able to offer its services on Tencent Nintendo Switch.