There are a lot of great free-to-play games, free apps, and games with free demos that you can enjoy on your Nintendo Switch. With so many games on the Nintendo eShop these days, finding them can be a little tricky until you know where to look.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 5:
Getting Started
-
1Power on your Switch console using the button on the left side of the top edge of the system.
-
2Press the A button at the startup screen.
- You may be prompted to press any button 3 times after this to unlock the console. You can just press the A button 3 more times at the prompt if so.
Advertisement -
3Navigate the cursor to the yellow shopping bag icon, and press the A button to open the Nintendo eShop. You can use the left analog stick to move the cursor around the screen.
- In order to use the eShop, you will need to have your Nintendo Switch console properly configured to access a wi-fi internet connection.
- If this is your first time using the eShop, you will also need to set up a Nintendo Account to link to your Switch console so you can make purchases. The eShop will give you directions for how to do this if yours is not set up yet.
Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 5:
Finding Free Games and Apps
-
1Move your cursor up to the top of the main eShop screen to "Search/Browse" and press the A button to select that option.
-
2Move your cursor over to the "Price Range" option, and press the A button to confirm.
-
3Scroll the screen down using the analog stick until you reach the "Free" section, and select the "View More" option. Move your cursor over to the "View More" option to the lower right underneath the pictures, and press the A button to select it.
- This will take you to a screen that lists all of the currently available free to play games, and free apps you can download. If any of them say "Purchased" rather than "Free Download" or "Free" it simply means that you have previously downloaded that game or app, and it is already associated with your account. You can freely re-download such titles as needed.
Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 5:
Finding Temporarily Free Games
-
1Move your cursor down to "Great Deals" in the main eShop screen, and press the A button.
-
2Press the Y button on the Great Deals screen to access the "Filter" feature.
- Alternatively, you can move your cursor to the top-right side of the screen to the "(Y) Filter" option, and press the A button to select it to reach the same location.
-
3Scroll down the list manually and look for games that are 100% off or listed as temporarily free.
- Most of the time you won't see any games that are 100% off or temporarily free, so don't be surprised if you're not seeing anything like that very often. It's usually reserved for special occasions or limited time offers.
- The filters here to narrow the list down to "Free" entries or to sort by "Price Lowest to Highest" don't always work as you might expect for games that normally have a price tag and are discounted down to free. Scanning manually down this list is usually your best option.
- It is also common to receive 100% discounts on certain games after having purchased other titles from the same developer or publisher. Usually you will see a note in the description of the game's eShop page mentioning discounts on other games that you are entitled to after purchasing it.
Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 5:
Getting Free Demos from the eShop
-
1Move your cursor up to the top of the main eShop screen to "Search/Browse" and press the A button.
-
2Move your cursor over to the "Games with Demos" option, and press the A button to select it.
-
3Select the game you wish to try by moving your cursor to it and pressing the A button, then choose the "Download Demo" option from the right side of the screen.Advertisement
Method 5
Method 5 of 5:
Getting Free Demos from the News Channel
-
1Move the cursor from the main home screen on the Nintendo Switch to the red speech bubble icon, and press the A button to open the News Channel.
-
2Use the analog stick to navigate to a news entry that has the demo you wish to play, and select it with the A button.
-
3Scroll down towards the bottom of the news article, and use the A button to select the large icon on screen that directs you to download the demo.
- Sometimes this method is the only way to get a demo downloaded. This is especially common if the demo announcement is very new, and ahead of the game's scheduled release date. Searching for a specific game on the eShop may return no results for a newly announced title, but using the News article's download function allows you to access the demo, even if the game is not appearing in the eShop yet.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
About this article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,961 times.
Advertisement
