Nintendo Switch Edition

This article is about the Legacy Console Edition by 4J Studios. For the Bedrock Edition on Nintendo Switch, see Bedrock Edition.

Nintendo Switch Edition
Author(s)	Mojang Studios 4J Studios
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Written in	C++
Latest release	1.0.17
Release date	;Digital – eShop May 11, 2017
Rating(s)	(Online interactions not rated) PEGI: 7 PEGI: 7 (Portugal) ESRB: E10+ ACB: PG DEJUS: L (Livre) USK: 6 Russia: 6+ CERO: All
Size	1.12 GB
License	Proprietary
Source code	No
Other links	Store Page

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition is the edition of Minecraft developed by 4J Studios and Mojang Studios for the Nintendo Switch. It was announced on January 12, 2017 at the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017, and was available on the Nintendo eShop for $29.99 between May 11, 2017 and June 21, 2018. Existing digital owners are still able to access, re-download, and play this version. A retail version was said to be arriving at a later date, but has still not been released. DLC for the game is still available on the Nintendo eShop. Like Xbox One Edition and PlayStation 4 Edition players, Nintendo Switch Edition owners have the option to download the Bedrock version for free, however not all DLC will transfer. As with other games that are released on the Nintendo Switch, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition can be played in TV Mode, Handheld Mode, or Tabletop Mode.

Compared to Wii U Edition, Nintendo Switch Edition includes world sizes up to 3072×3072 blocks, 11 chunk render distance, and other enhancements offered by the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Edition has all Legacy Console Edition exclusive features, the most notable being Mini games.

As of 1.0.17, Nintendo Switch Edition has not received new feature updates, including the Update Aquatic, Village & Pillage, Buzzy Bees and the Nether Update.

Nintendo Switch Edition's most recent feature update is the World of Color Update.

Controls

Main article: Controls § Legacy Console Edition

In default settings, the controls are always displayed on the HUD. The controls for Nintendo Switch Edition are similar to Wii U Edition.

Gameplay

Nintendo Switch Edition can be played in TV Mode, Handheld Mode, and Tabletop Mode. The in-game username corresponds to the display name of the current Nintendo Switch user or users, which is changeable. The game is playable with a pair of Joy-Con or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Because of the Nintendo Switch's 720p screen, splitscreen is available even in Tabletop Mode. The render distance is 11 chunks in TV Mode and 7 chunks outside of TV Mode. Worlds from Wii U Edition can be transferred over a local network, but currently cannot be loaded on the Nintendo Switch Edition, as Wii U Edition has Update Aquatic, while the Nintendo Switch Edition does not. Similarly to PlayStation Vita Edition, the network mode of the game can be switched between Online and Local - the latter enables multiplayer with nearby consoles running Nintendo Switch Edition.

DLC

The following DLC is included in Nintendo Switch Edition:

• Skin Packs:
  • Battle & Beasts Skin Pack
  • Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack
• Texture Packs:
  • Natural Texture Pack
  • City Texture Pack
  • Fantasy Texture Pack
• Mash-up packs:
  • Festive Mash-up
  • Super Mario Mash-up

Any additional DLC for Nintendo Switch Edition can be found on the Nintendo eShop. However, the "Season Pass" and nearly all Mini game DLC are absent on the Nintendo Switch Edition, even though they can be purchased on every other version of Legacy Console Edition, including the Wii U Edition. When asked about this during the Official Minecraft Livestream, it was stated that excluding Nintendo Switch Edition players from DLC is "kind of intentional." The only Mini game DLC available on the platform is the Valley Battle Map through the purchase of the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack.

Trivia

• It had been announced that Nintendo Switch Edition would receive a physical release at a later date. Mojang has since stated that the edition would "not be available for new purchase" after the release of Bedrock Edition on Nintendo Switch. There has been no further confirmation of a physical release since then.
  • After it was removed from the Nintendo eShop, as it is not possible to redeem codes for games that are no longer distributed, there is currently no way to purchase the edition.
  • DLC has not been removed from Nintendo eShop and is still available for purchase.
• Along with the other editions of Minecraft for Nintendo platforms, Nintendo Switch Edition is the most expensive edition of Minecraft, as it is only sold in a bundle with several add-on packs.
  • All DLC included with Nintendo Switch Edition are the same as the Xbox One Edition Holiday Pack, except that the Nintendo-exclusive Super Mario Mash-Up Pack is included in place of the Halo Mash-Up Pack. The Halo Mash-Up Pack was Xbox-exclusive until it was later made available as DLC for the Wii U Edition and Nintendo Switch Edition on March 27, 2018.
• Unlike the PlayStation 4 Edition and Xbox One Edition, the Nintendo eShop does not have a free demo for Nintendo Switch Edition.
• Compared to Xbox One Edition and PlayStation 4 Edition, Nintendo Switch Edition has a lower render distance, and has neither the Large world size nor the Amplified Worlds option. However, transferring a Java Edition-created Amplified world from the Wii U Edition will force new terrain to render with Amplified features enabled.
• At launch, the resolution in TV Mode was restricted to 720p because of technical difficulties with changing the resolution during gameplay. 1.0.6 resolved this and increased the resolution to 1080p.
• The Wii U save transfer functionality was added in 1.0.7, and unlike other Legacy Console Editions, works over a local network.