From November 10, Filipino Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners can buy games, add-ons and Nintendo Switch Online memberships from a Philippine eShop, without setting their account to the US or another region. Nintendo announced the date on its Philippine website in a notice dated October 26.
What Nintendo has not announced yet is just as important: peso prices for games and memberships, and the list of payment methods. That leaves about two weeks to sort out your account and your card before the store opens.
What the Nintendo eShop Philippines launch includes
According to Nintendo's announcement, the Philippine eShop will let you:
- buy and download games for Switch 2 and the original Switch;
- buy downloadable content (DLC, the paid add-ons for games);
- buy a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Nintendo Switch Online is the subscription that unlocks online play. Nintendo says it also includes a library of games from older Nintendo consoles, games only members can play, and Save Data Cloud, which backs up your saves online.
Until now there was no official store here. Players had to make accounts in the North American or European regions to buy digital games, NintendoSoup noted. The Philippines follows Malaysia, where Nintendo launched its eShop and Switch Online on November 18, 2025, The Star reported.
Why your card has to be Philippine-issued
The eShop follows the country set on your Nintendo Account. Nintendo's support page on card errors says a card issued in one region will not work in another region's eShop. A US-issued card, for example, works only in the North American store.
In practice, that means a Philippine eShop account will need a card issued in the Philippines. The reverse is also true: if you switch your account to the Philippines, a foreign card you saved before may stop working.
Nintendo has not yet said whether PayPal, debit cards, virtual cards or e-wallets will be accepted here. In Singapore, its membership page lists credit cards and PayPal for adding eShop funds. In Malaysia, the equivalent page lists credit cards only. Wait for the Philippine list before you assume your Maya or GCash card will work, even if it already works with Google Pay, as Maya's Visa cards now do.
How to switch your Nintendo Account to the Philippines
If you already use a US or other foreign account, you change its country on the Nintendo Account website. Nintendo's steps are:
- Sign in to the Nintendo Account website.
- Open User Information, then select Change in the Profile section.
- Pick the new country or region and save.
- Read the notice about the change and confirm.
Nintendo says the change can be blocked by three things. Clear them before November 10:
- eShop balance. Nintendo will not change the country while funds remain, so spend them first.
- Automatic renewal. Turn off auto-renew on Nintendo Switch Online or any other pass.
- DLC pre-orders. Cancel any pre-order for content that is not out yet.
Nintendo's page does not say what happens to games you already bought in another region, so check that on the account notice before you confirm. Accounts of children aged 15 and under cannot be changed one by one. They follow the family group admin's country.
What Nintendo Switch Online could cost, based on its neighbours
Peso prices are not out yet. Malaysia, which launched last year, shows how Nintendo priced the same tiers in the region. These are its prices, not Philippine ones. Peso figures below use about ₱15.69 per ringgit, the October 29 mid-market rate.
| Plan (12 months unless noted) | Malaysia |
|---|
| Individual, 1 month | RM13 (around ₱200) |
| Individual, 3 months | RM33 (around ₱520) |
| Individual | RM89 (around ₱1,400) |
| Family (up to 8 people) | RM169 (around ₱2,700) |
| Individual + Expansion Pack | RM179 (around ₱2,800) |
| Family + Expansion Pack | RM319 (around ₱5,000) |
The individual prices come from The Star's launch report. The family and Expansion Pack prices appear on Nintendo's Malaysian page, which also says all prices include tax.
The family plan is where the savings are. By our math, using Malaysia's RM319 Family + Expansion Pack price, eight members would each pay about RM40 (around ₱630) a year. That is less than a quarter of one RM179 individual Expansion Pack plan. Nintendo's Malaysian page says the family plan needs a registered credit card at purchase, so one adult with a local card would pay for the group.
The Expansion Pack adds Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and GameCube games, plus Sega Genesis titles, according to Nintendo's Malaysian page. GameCube games play only on Switch 2. Individual members there also get a free 7-day trial. Auto-renewal turns on by default for account holders aged 18 and up.
Other ways Filipinos already pay to play
Nintendo's store is not the only gaming subscription with local pricing. Smart already sells Blacknut cloud gaming in the Philippines. It is a cloud service with its own game library, though, so it does not replace Switch Online for playing Nintendo games online.
Nintendo has not said when it will post Philippine prices and payment options. Until it does, the safest move is to clear your foreign eShop balance and pre-orders now, and keep auto-renew off so the account is ready to switch on November 10.
