Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Features

How to guarantee you get the Nintendo Switch username you want

By

how to claim your nintendo switch username nintendoswitch hardware console 04 0 1 ddd
Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch isn’t out until March 3, but Nintendo has already allowed eager fans to choose the username they want, even if they haven’t ordered the console. Fortunately, the process to pick out your ideal Switch username is remarkably simple, and you don’t even need to be in front of a Nintendo console to get the ball rolling. Here’s how.

Step 1: Sign in or make a Nintendo Account

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before you’re able to pick your Nintendo Switch username, you’ll have to sign into your Nintendo Account. This can be done a few different ways, depending on how you’ve used Nintendo services in the past. If you used the previous “Nintendo Network ID” system to play Wii U and 3DS games online, just enter that ID as well as your password. You can also use Facebook, Google, or Twitter to log in if you’ve done so in the past.

Recommended Videos

Conversely, you can also sign in using a Nintendo Account email address. If you haven’t yet signed up for a Nintendo Account, just hit the “Create a Nintendo Account” button at the bottom of the page to get started. The next page will ask for your birthday, email address, and timezone.

Step 2: Pick your User ID

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once you’ve logged into your Nintendo Account, you’re only a few minutes away from choosing your Nintendo Switch username. Just click on the “User info” tab underneath your profile picture and you’ll see an empty field labeled “User ID.” On mobile, you’ll need to click on the “User ID” tab at this point.

You’ll now be prompted to enter a new password that will be tied to your Nintendo Account instead of the Nintendo Network ID or other social media service you used. Check the email associated with your account, accept the change, and choose a new password.

Once your password is changed, you’re ready to pick your User ID. It must be more than six characters, so have an alternate name picked in case your Xbox Gamertag or PSN name is too short. You’re now ready to sign into the Nintendo Switch with your new name as soon as you get the console, and you’ll be able to take any eShop purchases with your account in case you have to buy a replacement system!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
3 retro classics to play on Nintendo Switch Online this weekend (May 3-5)
Kirby and his friends post in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror art.

With rumors of a new Nintendo console heating up, it's once again time to accept that the Switch's long lifespan is coming to its end. 2024 will likely be the system's last full year before a successor steals its thunder. That's apparent in Nintendo's recent first-party offerings, as the system is getting a lot of remasters and niche curveballs this year. As exclusives like Endless Ocean: Luminous underwhelm, you may have found yourself looking for reasons to fire up your Switch.

Thankfully, you have a lot of great excuses to do so if you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. The service is home to plenty of classic games from the NES up to the Nintendo 64. Even if you're a game historian, there's a good chance you haven't played everything Switch Online has to offer. This weekend, I have three recommendations for anyone looking to fire up some great, old games. These aren't random picks; I've chosen three games that feel spiritually linked to some of this spring's biggest games.
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Read more
How well do you know video games? This free game will test your knowledge
A close up of ratchet in ratchet & Clank Rift Apart.

Do you know how long it takes to beat your favorite video games? You can now put your skills to the test with How Long To Beat: The Game, a free browser game that's worth checking out.

The project, launched in late April, comes from video game website How Long To Beat, which tracks the runtime of video games using player-submitted data. You can use the site to see how long it takes to complete the main story of a game or even how much time it'll take to go for 100% completion. How Long To Beat has turned that feature into a creative game that's surprisingly fun.

Read more
A Nintendo emulator is Apple’s top downloaded app after ban reversal
Nintendo Entertainment System with controller.

The iOS App Store has a new No. 1 app, and it's Delta -- Game Emulator. Recently unbanned by Apple, the app allows players to emulate games from several different Nintendo systems, even though it isn't officially backed by Nintendo.

As a report from The Washington Post outlines, Apple recently loosened its App Store restrictions, which allowed game emulators to return to the storefront even though they were previously banned. Emulators populate a murky gray area in the video game industry, as they are fantastic for game preservation, but also give people ways to play games illegally if they find the ROM online.

Read more