Got a new Nintendo Switch OLED? Redownload your games in 5 steps
We'll show where the redownload button is and how to get your game library reinstalled on that new Switch.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
There's a new version of the Nintendo Switch with a stunning OLED display, but when I tried to set up my new OLED-screen Switch, it was not immediately obvious to me how I could redownload my existing games onto the new system. If you just got a new Switch as a gift this holiday season and are having a similar issue, don't stress. We'll solve it.
Keep in mind, this is not my first Nintendo rodeo. I've covered every Nintendo console launch since the GameCube, and I even wrote a book that was in part a deep dive into Nintendo history. But I've been using the same launch-day Switch since 2017, so I haven't had to look for this specific function before.
It doesn't help that there's not a big "Library" button on the Switch home screen, while similar functions are relatively easy to find on both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. In fact, it's behind a couple of nonintuitive button presses.
Here's how you do it:
- From the Home screen, click on the Nintendo eShop button
- Select your specific account if needed
- Tap on your tiny account icon in the top-right corner
- You're then directed to the Account Information page, where the third entry in the left-hand nav is "Redownload"
- From there, each game in your library has a little "cloud with an arrow pointing down" icon, which will redownload the game.
Here's a handy animated gif walkthrough, if that's more your speed.