There seems to be some confusion around the Japanese Language System Nintendo Switch 2 units out there. While, on the surface, it might seem pretty self explanatory, there are some elements to it that need some explaining. Not only that, despite the region lock, there it is possible to play games in English or any language of your choice even if you buy the Japanese region hardware. How does this work? Well, let’s get into it.
The Basics
There are three Nintendo Switch 2 SKUs that will be available at launch - a Japanese Only system, a Japanese Only system with Mario Kart World and a Multi-Language system that supports Japanese and all other languages.
As I’m sure almost all of you are well aware, the release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017 was a welcome one for gamers looking to be free of the region locking shackles that bound us. Nintendo not only removed this from their system, but they also made it super simple to switch between stores and accounts to purchase games from regions all across the globe. Sure, region exclusive games are less of an issue these days, but they were and still are released. Creating multiple region Nintendo Accounts was also simple and it was easy to change the language settings on the Switch itself. It truly was (and still is) a no-nonsense approach.
The need for making the Switch 2 region locked for Japan is understandable. This is going to prevent people from scooping up system at a lower price due to favorable exchange rates, profiting on this for themselves and taking away consoles from Japanese players who are looking forward to checking out Nintendo’s new system. It’s not ideal for multi-language homes, but it’s a sound strategy to make sure that the system is at least generally available for the majority of fans in the country.
How Does This Work on Switch 2?
As we don’t have our hands on a Japanese Language unit, this can’t be 100% confirmed, BUT, there are a few possibilities here that are likely. The system could be locked in one of the following ways:
1. The language options will be grayed out on the system
2. The language options will ONLY show Japanese as a language
3. Players won’t be able to access language options on a system level
Regardless, the real question is HOW will any of these approaches be achieved? The most logical explanation is through some kind of custom firmware made exclusively for the Japanese model. This wouldn’t be anything new for Nintendo as this was the approach that they took with past consoles like the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. In addition to this, Nintendo has also said that ONLY Japanese Nintendo Accounts will be able to be used on the Japan Only systems. Will there ever be a work around from the modding community? Probably. However, if you’re looking to play your system normally, purchase games or make use of things like the Nintendo Switch Online service, modding your system in this way may prevent you from making use of any of these features and services.
You CAN Play Games in Other Languages…Kinda
While games do typically launch with the current system settings applied, there are some that offer the ability to change the language once you’ve booted up the game itself. Several, if not all, of the product pages for upcoming releases have the following message in Japanese:
“The Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese Language System (Japanese Only) can only be played in Japanese. However, some software may allow you to change the language within the software."
via the Mario Kart World product listing
One thing to remember for Nintendo published games is that they typically do not offer the ability to change the language in the in-game menus with some exceptions. Third parties are a bit more of a different story - some do this and others don’t. And THEN you have even rarer exceptions, such as EA Sports Madden NFL 26, which is going to be released on the Japanese eShop but will NOT feature Japanese language at all. Thankfully, every single game listing on the eShop, both for the Switch and Switch 2, shows exactly what languages are supported (as long as you can read the Japanese, or find a way to read it). At the same time, knowing whether or not a game has this in-game will not be known until going into each game’s options.
The reverse of this has been applied to the Switch throughout its lifetime. It’s typically not something that happens with Nintendo published games, but it DID happen with Splatoon 2, for example. For those that don’t know, the Japanese version of Splatoon 2, either physical or digital, was language locked to Japanese only. Other publishers have done this as well with the Japanese versions of some games, such as Dragon Quest XI, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (published by Koei Tecmo here in Japan) and Dark Souls (most From Software games have been like this over the years). It’s really hit or miss, but always worth checking out the game listings before throwing down your hard earned cash.
Conclusion
Although we won’t be able to know how things work until we have our hands on the system itself, if you’re out there thinking that you’ll be able to easily get around these language restrictions, you might be in for a rude awakening. Even with that said, there still MAY be a way to play games in your language of choice even if you pick up a Japan Only system. It’s probably not a good idea, though, unless you’re looking to study Japanese or something.
But let’s turn things over to you. Did you get lucky enough to nab a Multi-Language system from the My Nintendo Store in Japan? Are you going to go with a Japanese system? Does this just not affect you at all? Sound off with any and all comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
by Danny Bivens
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