How to Download Minecraft on Nintendo Switch: eShop, Card

Minecraft on Nintendo Switch is the Bedrock Edition, sold digitally on the Nintendo eShop and as a physical game card. Buy either, then sign in to a free Microsoft account inside the game so you can play online with friends on other platforms.

Digital or game card?

The eShop version lives on your Nintendo Account and redownloads any time. The game card can be lent or resold, but you need the card in the console to play. Updates download either way. Make sure the cover says just “Minecraft”. Older cards labeled “Nintendo Switch Edition” are the retired legacy version, which no longer gets updates or cross-play.

Setting up Minecraft on Switch

1. Search “Minecraft” in the eShop, buy it and let it download, or insert the card.
2. Start the game and pick Sign in with a Microsoft account. You’ll get a short code; enter it on your phone at the address shown.
3. Your Xbox friends list now appears in the Friends tab, so you can join friends on any Bedrock device.

Playing with other people

• Online: you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online membership as well as the Microsoft account. Checking the eShop listing before you buy is the only way to be sure of the current rules.
• Local split-screen: up to four players on one docked Switch, each with their own controller. Split-screen doesn’t work in handheld mode.

If a friend’s world won’t show up, run through can’t connect to a friend’s world. The full list of ways to play together, including Realms, is in how to play Minecraft multiplayer.

Keep it running smoothly

The original Switch has the least headroom of any current Minecraft platform. Big redstone builds, mob farms and lots of loaded entities slow it down, and render distance is limited compared with Xbox or PS5. Build compact farms, avoid hundreds of animals in one pen, and keep large builds spread out. If performance matters to you and you own an Xbox, the Xbox version handles big worlds better.

Owners of a Switch 2 should look at the eShop listing on that console to see which version it offers. Everything Bedrock-specific, from controls to Marketplace, is in the Bedrock Edition guide, and the download hub covers every other device.