Switch's YouTube App: A Long-Awaited Arrival on Nintendo's Console

Last Updated: November 4, 2025

When the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, the excitement was palpable. A revolutionary hybrid console with a promising lineup of games dominated the conversation. But amidst the praise for its innovative design, a puzzling omission stood out: the near-complete absence of media streaming applications. Chief among the missing was YouTube, and its eventual arrival would take much longer than anyone anticipated.

In the modern era, a console is expected to be more than a game machine—it's an all-in-one entertainment hub. Yet, as the Switch's launch months rolled by, its eShop remained devoid of the world's largest video streaming service. This gap in functionality became a major talking point among early adopters who had hoped Nintendo's new hardware would be as versatile in the living room as it was on the go.

An Unexpectedly Long Delay

The delay was significant. While services like Hulu arrived in late 2017, the YouTube app didn't launch on the Nintendo Switch until November 8, 2018—a full 20 months after the console's debut. Many users and industry analysts had expected that Nintendo, having seen the importance of media integration on other platforms, would have these crucial partnerships and applications ready far sooner. The prolonged silence from both Nintendo and Google on a release date only amplified the community's impatience.

Redefining the Modern Console Experience

Competing platforms like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One had long established a robust suite of streaming apps as a standard, day-one feature. Services like YouTube, Netflix, and Twitch were considered essential, not optional extras.

The absence of a native YouTube app on the Switch was particularly felt by the gaming community. The platform is an integral part of gaming culture, used for everything from watching trailers and reviews to following walkthroughs and live streams. Forcing players to pull out a phone or tablet to look up a guide for *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild* while playing on their new Switch felt like a step backward in user convenience. It momentarily undermined the hybrid console's core proposition of being the ultimate device for gaming and entertainment, wherever you are.

Community Reaction and Speculation

Throughout 2017 and most of 2018, online forums and social media were buzzing with speculation. Was there a technical hurdle preventing the app from running smoothly on the Switch's hardware? Were there complex negotiations between Nintendo and Google over features or revenue sharing?

A prevailing theory was that Nintendo was deliberately prioritizing system stability and a purely game-focused experience in the console's crucial first year, pushing non-gaming software to the back burner. While plausible, the lack of communication allowed frustration to fester. "I keep checking the eShop every day hoping it will just appear," was a common sentiment echoed across countless posts, highlighting a genuine demand for what many considered a basic feature.

The App Arrives

Finally, in November 2018, the wait ended. The free YouTube application appeared on the eShop, bringing the full suite of video content to the console. The app supported both docked and handheld modes, utilized the touch screen for navigation, and performed as users expected.

While the lack of a streaming app was never a deal-breaker for those who bought the console for its stellar exclusive games, the lengthy delay was a significant chapter in the Switch's early life. It served as a potent reminder of Nintendo's unique, game-first approach to its hardware and digital strategy—a philosophy that ultimately proved successful, but not without leaving its early adopters waiting for features that had long become standard elsewhere.