Easily one of the most integral features tied to Nintendo’s Switch Online service was the Game Vouchers feature, available for $100 (R1,860), which allowed subscribers to select any two titles from the company’s list of eligible games and save a few bucks at the same time. No longer, folks. Nintendo is discontinuing Game Vouchers as of January 2026.
Gone, but not forgotten
Specifically, 30 January 2026. That does at least leave customers some time to pick up one (or eight) Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers before the shutdown. Nintendo hasn’t stated why it’s removing the feature, but the answer is an obvious one: greed. Nintendo’s recent adoption of the $80 pricing model means gamers who take advantage of Game Vouchers would technically be saving more than they ever did before.
See, when Nintendo was still charging $60 for a brand-new title, picking up two games for $100 essentially saved customers $20 — after already charging them for access to Switch Online, of course. But if customers are grabbing $70 or even $80 games, Nintendo loses even more dough. It can’t have that.
“Users with an active, paid Nintendo Switch Online membership are able to purchase Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers from Nintendo eShop until 30 January 2026, 23:59 local time. Each Nintendo Switch Game Voucher remains valid for a year (365 days) from the day of purchase,” the company’s FAQ reads.
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It’s worth noting that even if customers purchase their Game Voucher(s) but do not redeem them before the 30 January shutdown date, they’ll have 365 days to redeem their games. Nintendo has softened the blow somewhat with the confirmation that it will continue to add new titles to the list of eligible games, meaning there may be value in holding off for now if you aren’t interested in what’s currently on offer.
Nintendo immediately takes the wind out of its sails with a note that Game Vouchers cannot be redeemed for Switch 2 games. There’s nothing to stop you from grabbing a Switch 1 version of a game and paying the R180 fee for the upgrade, however. There’s also a limit as to how many Vouchers one account can hold at a time — eight — which amounts to 16 games in total once redeemed.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see Nintendo bring back the Voucher system a few years into the Switch 2’s lifecycle, with a more expensive price tag attached.
