The eShop will now adopt the theme color you've selected
A year into the Switch 2's commercial life, Nintendo continues its quiet work of refinement — rolling out firmware 22.5.0 across both console generations in a gesture that speaks less to revolution than to stewardship. Dutch and Russian speakers gain new accessibility footholds on the newer hardware, while the original Switch receives a more visible reimagining of its digital storefront, complete with security and visual polish. These incremental acts of maintenance, arriving two months after the last update, reflect the long, patient labor of sustaining a platform long after its debut excitement has settled into everyday use.
- Two console generations, one update cycle: Nintendo quietly pushed firmware 22.5.0 to both Switch 2 and the original Switch on June 15, 2026, ending a two-month silence.
- Accessibility gaps narrow as Dutch and Russian join the Switch 2's text-to-speech and speech-to-text options, giving more players a voice — literally — in the ecosystem.
- The original Switch's eShop gets its most visible refresh in some time: a restructured layout, dark theme color support, and PIN verification that addresses lingering concerns about unauthorized purchases.
- Video browsing becomes less cumbersome as ZL and ZR buttons now let users jump ten seconds forward or back in full-screen playback across the eShop and News app.
- The update lands as a steady beat in Nintendo's maintenance rhythm — modest after March's headline-grabbing Handheld Boost Mode, but consistent in its signal that both platforms remain actively tended.
Nintendo has released firmware version 22.5.0 for both the Switch 2 and the original Switch — the company's first system update in two months and a reminder that platform stewardship rarely stops after launch day.
For the Switch 2, now a year into its commercial life, the changes are measured. Dutch and Russian have been added to the console's text-to-speech accessibility options, and the same languages now work within the speech-to-text feature used during game chat. The rest of the patch is devoted to general stability improvements — the kind of quiet, under-the-hood work that keeps hardware performing reliably over time.
The original Switch received the more substantive update of the two. Its eShop has been redesigned with a restructured layout, and users who have selected the "Basic Dark" system theme will now see that color choice reflected inside the storefront — a small but welcome touch of visual consistency. A new PIN verification option adds a security layer when accessing the eShop or stored payment methods. Video browsing also improves: the ZL and ZR buttons now rewind or advance full-screen video by ten-second increments in both the eShop and the News app.
Both updates arrived June 15, 2026, and can be triggered manually through system settings if the automatic prompt hasn't appeared. Coming two months after April's last update and following March's more ambitious Switch 2 patch, this release confirms Nintendo's steady cadence of incremental care across both generations.
Nintendo has rolled out firmware version 22.5.0 across both the Switch 2 and the original Switch, marking the first system update the company has released in two months. The Switch 2, now a year into its commercial life, continues to receive regular maintenance patches designed to keep the hardware running smoothly and expand its feature set.
The update for the Switch 2 itself is modest in scope. Nintendo added Dutch and Russian to the console's text-to-speech accessibility options, extending language support for players who rely on audio assistance. The same two languages were also added to the speech-to-text feature used during game chat sessions. Beyond those language additions, the patch includes general system stability improvements—the kind of under-the-hood refinement Nintendo deploys regularly to address performance issues and smooth out user experience across the board.
The original Switch, by contrast, received a more visibly substantial update. The eShop, Nintendo's digital storefront, has undergone a redesign. The layout itself has been restructured, though Nintendo did not detail what those structural changes entail. More concretely, the eShop will now adopt the theme color you've selected in your system settings if you're using the "Basic Dark" theme option—a small but appreciated visual consistency feature. The update also introduced PIN verification as an option when accessing the eShop or using saved payment methods, adding a layer of security for account holders concerned about unauthorized purchases.
For users who browse video content through the eShop or the News app, the update adds quick navigation controls: the ZL and ZR buttons now allow you to rewind or advance by ten-second increments when watching full-screen video. Like the Switch 2 update, the original console's patch also includes general stability improvements meant to enhance overall performance.
Both updates arrived on June 15, 2026. If your console hasn't automatically prompted you to install the new firmware, you can manually trigger the update through your system settings. This release comes roughly two months after Nintendo's last system update in April, and follows a more substantial March update for the Switch 2 that introduced Handheld Boost Mode and expanded game chat capabilities. The cadence suggests Nintendo is maintaining its established rhythm of regular maintenance and incremental feature additions across both console generations.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
A year in, and the Switch 2 is still getting updates. What does that tell us about where Nintendo thinks this console is headed?
It suggests they're treating it as a living product, not something finished at launch. The language additions—Dutch and Russian for accessibility—signal they're thinking about global reach and inclusion, not just core markets.
But the update itself is pretty light. Stability improvements and language support. Why not something more dramatic?
Because the console is already stable. A year in, you're past the phase where you need major overhauls. You're in maintenance mode, fixing edge cases and responding to what users actually ask for.
The original Switch got the eShop redesign, though. That's more substantial.
Right, and that makes sense—the eShop is older, it's been through more iterations. The redesign probably reflects lessons learned from how people actually shop. The PIN verification is practical too; it's security theater that actually works.
The video controls seem almost random. Why would that matter enough to include in a system update?
It's not random if you think about how people use these devices. News and eShop videos are becoming more prominent. Ten-second skips are muscle memory from every streaming service. Nintendo is just making their interface match what users expect elsewhere.