If you’ve ever tried to buy a digital Nintendo game on your phone, you know the process. You open your browser, type in the eShop URL, pinch and zoom your way through a website that’s okay but clearly not designed for mobile, and eventually get the job done.

It’s always felt a bit clunky, especially when competitors have had slick, integrated store apps for years.

Well, Nintendo has finally answered the call. The company has just launched an official Nintendo Store app for iOS and Android, and it’s rolling out right now in the US, UK, Canada, and most of Europe. This isn’t just a new app, but an evolution. It’s the official Western debut of the “My Nintendo” app, which has been available exclusively in Japan for the last five years.

A better (but not perfect) way to shop

First things first: this is a “Store” app. As you’d expect, its primary function is to be a one-stop shop for everything Nintendo.

According to the official App Store and Play Store listings, the app is your new portal for browsing and buying:

• Consoles: This includes the entire Nintendo Switch family and the new Nintendo Switch 2.
• Games: You can browse both physical and digital titles.
• Hardware & merch: Joy-Cons, Pro Controllers, amiibo, and other merchandise are all listed.

It’s a clean, simple interface that’s infinitely easier to navigate on a phone than the old mobile website. You can filter, search, and add items to your wish list.

But here’s the one big catch: you can’t actually complete a purchase in the app.

When you finally hit “Buy,” the app boots you out and opens the product page in your phone’s default web browser (like Safari or Chrome) to handle the actual transaction. This makes the app feel less like a self-contained store and more like a very polished, convenient bookmark.

Still, it’s a major step up. And for many, the shopping isn’t even the best part.

The real “killer app”: your entire gaming history

The app’s real magic is buried in your user profile. Once you log in with your Nintendo Account, you can access a feature fans have been requesting for years: a unified “Play Activity” log.

This page shows you what games you’ve played, when you played them, and exactly how long you’ve spent on each one. It’s a fascinating, and perhaps slightly terrifying, look at your own gaming habits.

This log pulls data from your Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, but the real nostalgic hit comes from its support for older consoles. If you link your old Nintendo Network ID (NNID) to your current Nintendo Account, the app will also pull in all your play data from the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

There is one small caveat: the 3DS and Wii U data only show play activity up to February 2020. But for longtime fans, seeing those hundreds of hours in Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Breath of the Wild (the Wii U version!) officially logged in one place is a fantastic addition.

Previously, the only way to see this kind of detailed, hour-by-hour playtime on the Switch was to use the Parental Controls app—a weird workaround that many players used just to track their own stats. This new app finally makes it an official, easy-to-access feature.

Bells, whistles, and real-world rewards

Beyond the store and the history log, the app packs a few other useful features:

• Wish list alerts: You can add games to your wish list and the app will send you a push notification when they go on sale. This is a game-changer for anyone waiting to pounce on a specific eShop deal.
• News feed: A dedicated “News” tab keeps you updated on the latest game announcements, Nintendo Direct presentations, and events.
• Event check-ins: The app has a feature that allows you to “check in” when you visit official Nintendo stores (like Nintendo New York) or major events (like gaming conventions). Checking in can earn you rewards and digital badges for your profile.

This new app is the latest piece of Nintendo’s slowly-but-surely expanding mobile ecosystem. It joins the Nintendo Music app (a streaming service for NSO subscribers) and the Nintendo Today newsfeed app, creating a more connected web of services on the device you use most.

It may not be the all-in-one native storefront some were hoping for, but the Nintendo Store app is a massive quality-of-life improvement. It’s a proper hub for your account, a home for your gaming memories, and a much, much nicer way to browse for your next game.