Nintendo Drops Free Batch Of Festive Downloads, All Yours

Nintendo has just dropped a new batch of free downloads for Nintendo Switch, and they’re festive-themed this time.

It’s that time of year where the ugly jumpers come out, the stockings are put up, and everyone gathers around to enjoy the season’s festivities.

As is usually the case during this time, various game companies are releasing a bunch of freebies up for grabs.

Nintendo is getting in on this with some new holiday-themed icons for Nintendo Switch Online users, featuring various Super Mario characters enjoying the festivities along with some themed backgrounds and icon frames.

The icons show Mario firing a party popper, Luigi brandishing a star balloon, and Peach holding a bouquet of flowers. Yoshi and Toad are also featured in this drop, just doing their thing, along with some presents to use as your Nintendo Switch Online icon.

In addition to this, you can also get some festive-looking backgrounds and frames to go along with the icon, so you can transform your online avatar into something that really represents the season.

These new icons are available now, and will rotate on a weekly basis until 25 December. So if you’re not happy with the icons offered here, you might want to check back in another week for a new batch.

How To Claim These Icons And Add Them To Your Nintendo Switch Online Account

To claim these items and add them to your account, go on to your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 console home screen and find the Nintendo Switch Online app.

From here, find the Missions & Rewards section and you’ll be able to redeem these icons for your profile. You’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription to be able to do this.

In related Nintendo news, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond released this week and Nintendo published some new icons to celebrate the launch. You can currently get several icons based on characters and backdrops taken from the game.

The game is currently sitting at 80 on Metacritic for the Nintendo Switch 2 version, indicating a positive reception.

However, in our own review of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, we wrote that “it ultimately failed to live up to the hype” and “it unfortunately misses the mark in several ways. As the biggest Metroid Prime game to date, it’s fallen into the trap that many open-world games succumb to, having an overwhelming feeling of emptiness.”