According to a recent announcement, Nintendo will be slowly phasing out its online portal and gaming services out of China by March 31, 2026. After this point, there will be no free trials. Eventually, all software that includes paid or free titles will be unavailable to purchase or claim.

Nintendo will shut down the Switch eShop and all other online services in China by 2026. An official announcement from Tencent, which handles Nintendo's sales in China, gives a timeframe of March 31st,

Tencent Nintendo Switch has announced that online services for the Switch will come to an end in China in 2026.

Nintendo has announced a major change for the Switch console in China: The eShop and Nintendo Switch Online services will close in early 2026. The move comes amid the Chinese government's implementation of a rule limiting children to one hour of online game time per day.

This morning, Nintendo announced the closure of its Chinese eShop and the discontinuation of its online services on its Chinese website. The Chinese Switch eShop will stop selling games after March 31, 2026, and all online services will cease after May 15, 2026.

Nintendo's next console still lacks some concrete details, but there's one piece of news that seems like a sign of things to come.