{"id":135412,"date":"2025-12-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-195707"},"modified":"2025-12-25T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T10:00:00","slug":"guide-got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2025\/12\/25\/guide-got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide: Got Yourself A New Nintendo Switch 2? Here&#8217;s What To Do First"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/3feb7026ee08e\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/3feb7026ee08e\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"3feb7026ee08e\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/3feb7026ee08e\/switch-2.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/3feb7026ee08e\/switch-2.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" alt=\"Switch 2\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\"><span class><\/span> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve recently come into possession of a new Nintendo Switch 2, first of all, congratulations! You&#8217;re in for a treat, since the Switch 2 not only has a rapidly growing library of games, but you can also play almost every game from the original Switch, too.<\/p>\n<p>But what the heck are you supposed to do first? Well, we&#8217;ve got you covered in our beginner&#8217;s guide.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ll go through some of the crucial steps you&#8217;ll need to take to get your Switch 2 up and running and really get the most out of your shiny new system.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:155442 @ 1766737256 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<nav class=\"table-of-contents-quick\">\n<\/nav>\n<nav id=\"toc\" role=\"navigation\" class=\"table-of-contents collapsed \">\n<p>On this page: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first\">Got Yourself A New Nintendo Switch 2? Here&#8217;s What To Do First<\/a><\/p>\n<ol class=\"scrollbars\">\n<li class=\" first\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"switch-2-beginners-guide\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#switch-2-beginners-guide\">Switch 2 Beginner&#8217;s Guide<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<ol>\n<li class=\" first\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"get-it-all-plugged-in-correctly\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.1.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#get-it-all-plugged-in-correctly\">Get it all plugged in correctly<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"system-transfer\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.2.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#system-transfer\">System Transfer<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"create-a-user-profile-and-link-your-nintendo-account\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.3.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#create-a-user-profile-and-link-your-nintendo-account\">Create a user profile and link your Nintendo Account<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"set-up-parental-controls\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.4.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#set-up-parental-controls\">Set up Parental Controls<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"expand-your-storage-with-a-microsd-express-card\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.5.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#expand-your-storage-with-a-microsd-express-card\">Expand your storage with a MicroSD Express Card<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"set-up-gamechat\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.6.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#set-up-gamechat\">Set up GameChat<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"subscribe-to-nintendo-switch-online\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">1.7.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#subscribe-to-nintendo-switch-online\">Subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"faqs\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">2.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#faqs\">FAQs<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<ol>\n<li class=\" first\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"what-games-should-i-get\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">2.1.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#what-games-should-i-get\">What games should I get?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"will-my-old-joy-con-controllers-work-on-switch-2\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">2.2.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#will-my-old-joy-con-controllers-work-on-switch-2\">Will my old Joy-Con controllers work on Switch 2?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\" last\"><span class=\"toc-item\" data-id=\"what-if-i-want-to-use-a-proper-controller\"><span class=\"toc-pos\">2.3.<\/span><span class=\"toc-label\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/got-yourself-a-new-nintendo-switch-2-heres-what-to-do-first#what-if-i-want-to-use-a-proper-controller\">What if I want to use a &#8216;proper&#8217; controller?<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"switch-2-beginners-guide\">Switch 2 Beginner&#8217;s Guide<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"get-it-all-plugged-in-correctly\">Get it all plugged in correctly<\/h3>\n<p>This first step should be fairly straightforward, but we&#8217;ll briefly go through it anyway. Your Switch 2 will come with the console itself, two Joy-Con 2 controllers, Joy-Con 2 straps, Joy-Con 2 grip, the dock, USB-C cable, AC adapter, and HDMI cable.<\/p>\n<p>Connect the dock to your TV via the HDMI cable, then insert the USB-C cable into the dock and the AC adapter. Plug the latter into a spare power socket near your TV.<\/p>\n<p>Keep a note of which TV input your Switch 2 will be using; many modern TVs have as many as four or more HDMI slots, and you may even have the opportunity to rename it &#8216;Switch 2&#8217; for convenience via your TV menu. Check your TV instructions for more information on this.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"system-transfer\">System Transfer<\/h3>\n<p>Okay, so you&#8217;ve got everything plugged in correctly and powered on your Switch 2 for the first time \u2013 good job. The system itself will guide you through the initial steps, including selecting your appropriate region and connecting to Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll then be given the option to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/nintendo-switch-2-system-transfer-how-to-move-all-games-saves-profiles-from-switch-1\">transfer your data from your original Switch console<\/a>, if you own one. If not, you can go ahead and skip this step entirely.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to do this, make sure you have your original Switch at hand and keep both consoles connected to a power supply. We have a full guide on what to do down below if you&#8217;re struggling.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:180767 @ 1766735282 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h3 id=\"create-a-user-profile-and-link-your-nintendo-account\">Create a user profile and link your Nintendo Account<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re starting from scratch with the Switch 2 &#8211; you&#8217;ll want to create a new user profile.<\/p>\n<p>Now, even if you don&#8217;t have an original Switch, you may already have a Nintendo Account, so you can sign into this to expedite the process. If not, you&#8217;ll be prompted to create your profile icon.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t worry too much about this at this early stage. Whether you create a Mii or just go for a bog-standard image of Mario, you can always alter it later.<\/p>\n<p>When setting up a Nintendo Account (which you&#8217;ll need to use the eShop), you&#8217;ll need an email address and a secure password. Make sure you have access to your email to authenticate your new Nintendo Account.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"set-up-parental-controls\">Set up Parental Controls<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"c7da28f467e35\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Parental Controls\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/c7da28f467e35\/parental-controls.large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/c7da28f467e35\/parental-controls.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"511\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Parental Controls\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\"><span class><\/span> Image: Nintendo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You&#8217;ll also be prompted to set up parental controls, so feel free to do this if you&#8217;ve purchased a Switch 2 for your child. Doing so will allow you to set a daily play limit, monitor your child&#8217;s activity, and customise who they can and can&#8217;t interact with via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/nintendo-switch-2-guide-ultimate-resource#gamechat\">GameChat<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re making use of this, it&#8217;s recommended that you also download the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app on iOS or Android. Sign in here with your Nintendo Account and you can link your Switch 2 to the app. Otherwise, you can set appropriate restrictions via the console itself.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"expand-your-storage-with-a-microsd-express-card\">Expand your storage with a MicroSD Express Card<\/h3>\n<p>The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage (a certain amount of which is taken up with the operating system). This is a hefty amount, but some Switch 2 games are pretty large, so you might find yourself running out of space quite quickly.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve got you sorted on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/best-microsd-express-cards-for-nintendo-switch-2\">where to find the best MicroSD Express Cards for your console<\/a>. We can&#8217;t stress this enough \u2013 <strong>normal MicroSD cards will not work<\/strong>. Yes, they&#8217;re super cheap these days, but don&#8217;t give in to temptation. Express Cards are more expensive, but they&#8217;re the only ones that are compatible with Switch 2. Stick to our guide, and you&#8217;ll be fine.<\/p>\n<p>As for where to insert your MicroSD Express Card, turn your Switch 2 console on its back (in handheld mode \u2013 don&#8217;t go messing with your dock, now). Lift up the kickstand; underneath, you&#8217;ll see your console&#8217;s serial number on the left, and a small MicroSD slot on the right. Insert your Express Card here, with the text side facing up.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:180556 @ 1766737256 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h3 id=\"set-up-gamechat\">Set up GameChat<\/h3>\n<p>The Switch 2 has a brand-new feature that, while not exactly revolutionary, is pretty cool. You can chat to your friends directly if you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/nintendo-switch-2-camera-guide\">compatible camera plugged into the system<\/a>. The obvious one to go for is the official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-camera-an-elegant-but-nonessential-gamechat-companion\">Nintendo Switch 2 Camera<\/a>, but if you&#8217;re on a budget, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-piranha-plant-camera-shocking-image-quality-but-its-cuteness-will-snare-you\">Piranha Plant Camera<\/a> from Hori is an option.<\/p>\n<p>You can then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/nintendo-switch-2-gamechat-guide-how-does-it-work\">set up GameChat<\/a> by navigating to the relevant icon on your Switch 2 home screen, or by pressing the &#8216;C&#8217; button on your right Joy-Con 2.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind, you&#8217;ll need to provide a mobile number to receive a text message from Nintendo to complete the GameChat setup. For more information on this, check out our guide below.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:181148,180563 @ 1766738208 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h3 id=\"subscribe-to-nintendo-switch-online\">Subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online<\/h3>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t <em>essential<\/em>, but it&#8217;s a great way to really get the most out of your Switch 2, particularly if you&#8217;ve also picked up a little game called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/mario-kart-world\">Mario Kart World<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Primarily, Nintendo Switch Online will let you play&#8230; well, online. You&#8217;ll also need it for GameChat from March 2026. So if you&#8217;re itching to play some Mario Kart with your pals, you&#8217;ll need to kickstart your membership.<\/p>\n<p>What might be an even more compelling feature, however, is the ability to play a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/switch-2-nintendo-switch-online-can-i-access-the-retro-game-catalogue\">huge library of classic games<\/a> from previous Nintendo consoles (and the Mega Drive \/ Genesis). Exactly how many you have access to depends on whether you subscribe to the basic Switch Online tier or the more expensive Expansion Pack tier.<\/p>\n<p>You can subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online directly via the Switch eShop, or you can check out the following guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/where-to-buy-nintendo-switch-2-eshop-credit-gift-cards-and-online-membership\">where to buy various subscription tiers<\/a> along with some basic eShop credit.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:172624,78945 @ 1766737256 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h2 id=\"faqs\">FAQs<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"what-games-should-i-get\">What games should I get?<\/h3>\n<p>Ah, the age-old question, huh? Well, we can&#8217;t give you a definitive answer for this, since it will very much depend on your personal taste.<\/p>\n<p>What we <em>can<\/em> do, however, is showcase what our community has deemed to be the very best Switch 2 games so far. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/the-best-nintendo-switch-2-games\">Our top 50 guide<\/a> has pretty much something for everyone, so you&#8217;re almost guaranteed to find a game that will interest you.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from that, we can also take you through what we believe to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/best-switch-2-ports-the-most-impressive-third-party-games-on-nintendo-switch-2\">best ports for the system so far<\/a>, along with a look at some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/the-best-hidden-gems-and-underrated-switch-1-and-2-games-of-2025\">underrated hidden gems from 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:185286,195247,194627 @ 1766737256 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h3 id=\"will-my-old-joy-con-controllers-work-on-switch-2\">Will my old Joy-Con controllers work on Switch 2?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes&#8230; and no.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/nintendo-switch-2-joy-con-differences-how-do-the-new-controllers-compare\">Your old Joy-Con controllers will work wirelessly<\/a> with the Switch 2, so they&#8217;ll do the job if you&#8217;re in need of something for additional players in the household.<\/p>\n<p>They won&#8217;t, however, attach to the system itself. You might find this an obvious conclusion based on the sheer size of the Switch 2 in comparison to the original Joy-Cons, but it&#8217;s still worth clarifying because you&#8217;ll still need your old Switch 1 (or a specific accessory) to charge them.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:164333 @ 1766735282 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<h3 id=\"what-if-i-want-to-use-a-proper-controller\">What if I want to use a &#8216;proper&#8217; controller?<\/h3>\n<p>Not everybody gets along with the Joy-Con controllers, and that&#8217;s fine. Although the Joy-Con 2 are a huge step up over the original Switch&#8217;s controllers, you might find yourself yearning for a more &#8216;traditional&#8217; pad. Thankfully, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/best-nintendo-switch-2-controllers\">plenty to choose from<\/a>, including an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-pro-controller-a-new-benchmark-in-comfort-and-design\">official offering from Nintendo itself<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Prices vary greatly with controllers for the Switch 2, and you&#8217;ll likely find that anything not made by Nintendo itself will be missing a feature or two, like NFC support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/all-amiibo-list-every-animal-crossing-zelda-smash-bros-street-fighter-metroid-mario-donkey-kong-amiibo\">amiibo<\/a>, or perhaps even gyroscopic motion controls. Carefully consider which features you think you&#8217;ll need with your controller before parting with your hard-earned cash.<\/p>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/nintendo-switch-2\/related-articles:183944,183470 @ 1766737256 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\"> <\/aside>\n<p><em>So, how are you getting on with your new Switch 2? Got any nifty tips you think our readers should know about? Let us know with a comment down below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life If you&#8217;ve recently come into possession of a new Nintendo Switch 2, first of all, congratulations! You&#8217;re in for a treat, since the Switch 2 not only has a rapidly growing library of games, but you can also play almost every game from the original Switch, too. But what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}