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Need To Find A Lost Nintendo Switch? (Can You Track Or Trace It?)

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Have you ever lost your Nintendo Switch? After paying a good chunk of money for the gaming console, you might be worried you may have left it somewhere never to be found again. 

Portable devices like the Nintendo Switch are easy to misplace since you can take them anywhere with you. They are also very popular game systems and can easily be stolen. So, if you can’t find your Nintendo Switch, can you track or trace it?

The Nintendo Switch does not have a feature that allows you to track or trace it (like a cell phone). However, if your Switch is connected to a wireless controller there is a way to make it vibrate and have sound to help you find it.

I will go into exactly how you can use your wireless controller to help you find your lost Nintendo Switch in the section below. But if your Switch was lost in a large place like an airport or if it was stolen then unfortunately there is no way to track it down without having a third-party tracker that you purchased for it beforehand.

Even though the Switch doesn’t have a tracking feature, you can purchase third-party trackers for the device.

Losing something valuable like a Switch can be sad. They cost $300 without even including any games or extra controllers you may have purchased. Nintendo Switches can also be easy to misplace which makes the fact that they aren’t trackable even more frustrating.

Your kids may have set it down somewhere and they just can’t remember where they put it. After searching all through the house, you think that it would be helpful to have a way to trace the little gaming device. So, is there such a  way? 

Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch itself doesn’t come with any tracking features, but there are some third-party sellers that have trackers that you can get for your Switch. These do cost either a one-time or monthly fee. Using one of these trackers is the only way to track or trace a lost or stolen Nintendo Switch.

If you think your Nintendo Switch was not just lost but stolen you should contact Nintendo customer support and have them either lock access to your Nintendo account, change the password, or simply remove that Switch from your account. That way the person who stole it won’t be able to access the Switch games or the Nintendo eShop on your account.

It is also a good idea to contact the credit card company that you had connected with your Nintendo account and have them cancel it and get you a new card.

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How To Easily Use A Wireless Controller/ Joy-Con To Find A Lost Nintendo Switch

The Switch is an amazing hybrid console that you can use on the TV or anywhere you want. Since you can place it on the dock to use on your TV it takes the place of a traditional console but since you can take it on the go it has you covered if you prefer gaming on a handheld device as well.

Of course, one major downside to this console being so portable is that it is easy to lose it.

If you have a missing Switch that you know is somewhere in your house there is a trick that you can try to hopefully find it. One thing about this method is that you have to have the Joy-Con controllers or a paired wireless controller to work properly. Your Switch also cannot be dead or it won’t work either.

To have a better chance to find your Switch you will want to try this method as soon as you realize it is missing so hopefully it will still have plenty of battery life. This method is also dependent on the Bluetooth range of your device so if you have a large house you should try it in all of the possible places where the Switch might be.

  • The first thing that you will want to do is push the home button on your Nintendo wireless controller. If your Switch is anywhere close by it should turn it on.
  • The next thing that you will want to do is hold down the home button for a couple of seconds. What this will do is open the settings menu of the console.
  • Now that you are on the system settings menu you want to push down three times on your left joystick. This will bring you to the volume bar on that menu.
  • Now you want to use the left joystick and hold it all of the way to the right. What this is doing is adjusting the volume on the Switch. If your Switch is close by you might hear the little clicks of the volume changing.
  • The last thing that you want to do is repeatedly push the left joystick to the right over and over again. Since the volume will already be turned all of the way up every time that you push right on the stick it will make a noise. Just continue to push that stick to the right repeatedly and listen for that click every time that you push the stick to the right.

If your Nintendo video game console is anywhere in your house this is the best method to help you find it. The clicking won’t be extremely loud so it will help if everyone in the house is relatively quiet. However, this method will work especially well if you know where you used it the last time or the last few times that you played it.

The closer in proximity you are to the console the easier it will be to hear that clicking noise when you are on that menu adjusting the volume.

Can I Track My Nintendo Switch?

It can be alarming to lose an expensive electronic device like a Nintendo Switch console. These aren’t cheap and it may be difficult to just go out and buy a new one. So, if you have lost your Switch can you track it?

You can track your Switch with a third-party tracker, but the Switch itself doesn’t have tracking or tracing feature. You can also have help locating it by having the Switch’s serial number and giving this to Nintendo support. 

The Nintendo Switch doesn’t come with a tracker like Apple’s find my iPhone, but you can purchase a third-party tracker if you want to. This is a helpful thing to have on your Nintendo Switch a third-party tracker. 

Since this device doesn’t come with a tracker, if you think you are going to misplace it, or are worried about it being stolen, a tracker is great to have. The Tile Mate is an inexpensive Bluetooth tracker that attaches directly to the Switch.  

The tile app (available on iOS or Android) will need to be downloaded and when the Switch is nearby it can help you to locate it by playing a sound. If you are far away from it, you can check its most recent location on the mobile app. If someone is using your Switch you will be able to find it by using Bluetooth. 

This handy Tile network can also send notifications to users within Bluetooth range of the Switch. By having Tile Mate or other third-party tracking apps for your Nintendo Switch, you can have peace of mind if it ever happens to be stolen or you misplaced it. 

Sadly, these do cost. So, if you don’t want to pay for the tracker, then, unfortunately, there is no other way to track the device. This is why it is recommended to always know exactly where it is and don’t take it anywhere where it can be easily lost or stolen.

Is There A Way To Find My Lost Switch?

A Switch can easily be lost. Kids may use it and move it somewhere to forget about it. You may have taken it to the car and left it there. Whatever happens, you need a way to find it. So, is there a  way to find a lost Nintendo Switch?

There are a couple of ways to find your lost Nintendo Switch. First, look for it, and if you can’t find it. If you happen to have one of your Joy-Cons that wasn’t connected to the Switch when it was lost you can also use that to cause your Switch to make noise. For this to work, you have to have a wirelessly connected controller and the Switch has to be nearby.

You can also call Nintendo support with the serial number and see if they can locate it, or, get a third-party tracker for it.

If you have lost your Switch and looked everywhere for it, and it just isn’t anywhere to be found then you may have to go another route. As we mentioned earlier, try using a third-party tracker if you are concerned you are going to lose your Switch. 

GPS trackers can be used to find your Switch if it ever happened to get lost or stolen. If you think that your Switch has been stolen, another way to try and find it is to know the serial number. If you have this information about the Switch, you can then call Nintendo Support. 

They won’t be able to track the device but using the serial number and GPS location, they can see if anyone is connected to the internet with it.  They can also look for the IP address. This IP address tells them what city it is in and if it’s indeed been stolen. 

If it has been stolen, you can contact the local police about the stolen Switch and give this information to the police. They will be able to take down your Switch’s serial number and if one is recovered and the serial number matches they can contact you to return the stolen property.

If you know that your Switch has been stolen, deactivate your account so the thief doesn’t end up charging items as though it is you. As you can see, there are ways to find the lost or stolen Switch.

Overall, Nintendo Switches can be misplaced easily. Since they are portable gaming devices, you can take them anywhere with you and because of this, they are susceptible to being left anywhere. 

If you have misplaced or lost your Switch, start by looking everywhere you or your kids might have set it down at. If you still can’t find it, you can call Nintendo support and give them the device’s serial number so they can try to locate it for you. 

If it’s been stolen, you can file a police report with this information. You aren’t able to track or trace a Nintendo Switch unless you have a third-party tracker, but these do cost. With these trackers, you can find your Switch easily by using the apps to help you locate it. Nintendo Switch doesn’t come with a tracker but if you need a way to track it, third-party trackers are your only option.

How To Find A Lost Nintendo Switch Game

Although finding a Nintendo Switch console that you have lost in your house (or somewhere else) can be difficult finding a Switch game that has been lost is virtually impossible. Since the Switch game cartridges are so small they are lost extremely easily.

So how can you find a Switch game that you have lost?

There is only one way to find a lost Switch game and that is by simply searching for it. You will want to go over the last few places that you played your Switch carefully paying special attention to cracks and crevices that the game could have slid into.

If you typically play your Switch on a bed you will want to entirely remove the sheets, blankets, and pillowcases (carefully) to see if the cartridge was tangled up in one of those. You will then want to pull the bed away from the wall and carefully search behind and underneath it for the little cartridge.

If you normally play your Switch on a couch or a chair you will want to carefully feel all the cracks and crevices in that piece of furniture carefully. Make sure that you run your hand carefully through any pockets or places where the cartridge might have fallen into as well.

If the couch or chair has removable cushions then removing them so you can carefully inspect the different parts of the furniture is also a good idea.

Lastly, you will want to pull out and turn over that piece of furniture. Often the crevices of a couch or chair will be open to the floor so your Switch cartridge might have fallen all of the way down to the floor and be sitting underneath the furniture.