The Nintendo Switch family has grown with the release of the Switch Lite, a more compact and affordable version of Nintendo’s hybrid console. While there’s little reason to pick one up if you already own a standard Switch, if you’re anything like us, you may find it hard to resist the lure of a new piece of gaming hardware–particularly one as lovely as the Switch Lite–and plan to use it as a secondary console.
If you fall into that camp, you’ll undoubtedly want to know how to share your game data between your two Switch systems. The good news is that it’s a relatively straightforward process, but you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to do so, and it won’t work with every game. Here’s a full breakdown of how to share your data between the Switch and Switch Lite. If you’re trading in your regular Switch for a Switch Lite and want to transfer all of your data to the new system, check out our Switch transfer guide.
The Nintendo Switch Lite launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’s remake on September 20. The system is available in three colors—turquoise, yellow, and gray—and retails for $200, which is $100 cheaper than a standard Switch. However, to cut costs and emphasize portability, the system is missing some of the Switch’s most distinctive features, such as detachable controllers and the ability to connect to a television.
In addition to the three launch colors, Nintendo is releasing a special Pokemon edition Switch Lite on November 8, a few days ahead of Pokemon Sword and Shield. This edition has blue and magenta face buttons, a light grey tone, and illustrations of the games’ Legendary Pokemon, Zacian and Zamazenta, on the back. You can read more about the console in our Nintendo Switch Lite FAQ, and if you’re interested in picking one up, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch Lite pre-order guide.
Nintendo Switch Online
First things first: if you’re hoping to share your save data between your Switch and Switch Lite (or even another standard Switch), you’ll need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Through the service, you’re able to back up most of your game saves to the cloud, allowing you to access them on another console. However, there are a handful of games that don’t support cloud saves, which we’ll discuss further below, so you’ll need to think carefully about which Switch you play certain titles on, as your save will be locked to that system (unless you go through the hassle of manually transferring that data between consoles).
Link Your Nintendo Account
With the prerequisite NSO subscription out of the way, the first thing you’ll need to do is link your Nintendo Account to your new Switch. Once you’ve set up the console, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Go into System Settings
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