Many of us wish our Nintendo Switch had as much room as Mary Poppins’ purse, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. Often there isn’t enough space on your console to install every game at once. Therefore you may need to remove or archive the software to make room for the new game. But how do you get them back?
Thankfully all of your eShop purchases are saved to your profile, and it’s very easy to restore deleted or archived software on your Nintendo Switch. Keep reading to find out how.
What’s the point of re-downloading the game?
When you buy a game for your Nintendo Switch physically or through the eShop, you own it for life. So if you need to delete a game to make room for a new one, you can download it again instead of buying the game again the next time you want to play it. It also allows you to replace your Nintendo Switch console without fear of losing your entire gaming library in the process.
Re-downloading the software on your Nintendo Switch means putting the game you already have back on your system so you don’t have to pay for it twice. Re-downloading a game is very easy, and there are several ways to do it.
The method you must use to re-download a title will differ depending on whether you archived or deleted the game. But if you don’t have room on your console to re-download the game you want to play again, check out our guide on how to archive software on your Nintendo Switch.
How to Redownload a Game From Your Nintendo Switch Home Screen
If you archived your software, the game icon will still be on your console. It may still be on your Home menu if you recently archived it. If it was a while ago, and you can’t find the game icon on your home screen anymore, don’t worry! You will still be able to get your game back.
Your game will begin reinstalling on your Nintendo Switch console. If you can’t find the icon for the game you want to reinstall, you may have removed the software.
How to re-download games from the Nintendo Switch eShop
If you deleted your game instead of archiving it, you can still download it again by visiting the Nintendo Switch eShop. You can do this by selecting Re-download the software from the All Software menu or by launching it from the Home screen.
You’ll need to use this method if you’re reinstalling the game from a pre-existing account on a new Nintendo Switch system.
This is just one of many essential things to know about your Nintendo Switch. If you want to learn more about these handy hints, check out our 12 Essential Tips and Tricks for New Switch Owners.
eShop Is Your Oyster
The Nintendo Switch is full of surprises and quality of life improvements, and restoring archived or deleted software is just one of many. This is a great way to save space on your console so you can play a wide variety of games.
Having the ability to archive or delete software and reinstall it quickly and easily allows you to have an essentially endless rotating library of video games that you can play to your heart’s content.