Topic: Restoring games

My sons switch broke. We had purchased many games via digital download and also onto a micro SD card. We purchased a new switch and it won’t take the SD card and when we log in to the nintendo account the purchase history is empty. Maybe because it has been longer than 2 years? How do I get the games back or use the SD card?? Help!!!

@sburger All all eshop purchases/digital ownership are tied to the Nintendo account that bought them. So, on the new switch, link your switch user profile to the nintendo account. When you open eshop with that account, there's a redownload page just under the wishlist. Click on all the games you want to download, and leave the switch in sleep mode to download them.

I had to format my micro sd card to my OLED, which wiped all my games. I think it's an anti piracy measure. I think everyone that upgrades to a new switch has to redownload their games? (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

And game save data is stored separately on switch internal memory. You can transfer your game save data to the new console one switch user profile at a time. (if you plan on keeping and using both switches, I'm not clear how things work)

Nintendo support will be open in the morning, if you want more help. https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/contact
You can also seach for & find directions for everything via that Nintendo support contact page (there's a search bar).

@sburger If the broken switch literally doesn't work anymore, and you had a Nintendo Switch Online subscription (cloud backup of game save data) you can download the game save data for most games. Not all games are compatible with the cloud backup. If this is the route you have to take, and you can't use the broken switch, you'll need to make the new Switch console the "primary console", and you'll need to deregister the broken switch - the latter part requires contacting Nintendo support.

You can put "changing primary console switch" in the search bar of NIntendo support's page to get one or more pages on the topic.

Call Nintendo to get it repaired/replaced, and how to used your microSD card.

As others mentioned eShop games belongs to the account that bought the game you have to go to that account to redownload the game. Only the save data is stored on Switch and if you can't get them transfered over then they are lost save data. And if the account eShop games show nothing then that wasn't that account that purchased the games. You need to figure what account purchased the game.