Nintendo and Tencent to terminate Nintendo Switch Online services in China
Nintendo and Tencent announced on November 26 that they plan to shut down Nintendo Switch Online in mainland China. Services, including the online store, will be gradually terminated between March 31, 2026 and May 15, 2026.
Nintendo partnered with Tencent in 2019 to release the Switch in China. The Chinese version of the Switch is subject to some restrictions – only games that have been improved by the Chinese government can be sold on the eShop. As a result, fewer games are available, and it is also not possible to access other regions’ eShops.
The two companies announced yesterday that they will be gradually phasing out Nintendo Switch Online services in China in early 2026, with all services in the country scheduled to be terminated by May 15, 2026. As compensation, users in China will be able to receive four games for free from a list of 13 first-party titles, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
In the announcement, Nintendo and Tencent didn’t specify a reason for the planned shutdown in 2026. However, it is worth noting that Nintendo have lost 4 million Nintendo Switch Online members globally over the past year. The company plans to reveal the successor to the Nintendo Switch by the end of the current fiscal year (i.e. March 31, 2025), and have confirmed that the new console will be backwards compatible with Switch games. Nintendo’s future plans for the Chinese market are currently unknown, and at the time of writing, it is not known whether the Switch successor will be sold there.
