Factorio for Nintendo Switch is now available!

Posted by Twinsen on 2022-10-28

As announced previously, Factorio is now available for Nintendo Switch. You can find it on the Nintendo eShop in your region. I hope you will enjoy it. Remember that if you are not sure, you can try the demo. I recommend playing through the tutorial campaign even if you are a veteran player, as it gradually teaches you how to play the game with a controller.

Reporting bugs

This is a pretty big release so some bugs are expected. Please report any bugs you find at our usual bug report forum. Tag any Nintendo Switch specific bugs with "[Switch]" in the bug title. Also please Opt-in to Sending Game Error Information so that I can analyse any crashes that occur.

For feedback, I created a topic for Nintendo Switch version feedback and a topic for controller support feedback. For suggestions you can use the Ideas and Suggestions forum.

Known issues

  • When the game is started for the first time, there will be no sound effects, only music. Please restart the game to fix this issue. A patch to fix this issue is already on the way. Sorry for the inconvenience.
  • LAN discovery does not work in some rare situations if "Public" visibility is also selected when hosting the game.
  • Maps over 100MB or with a very large number of entities (typically downloaded from the PC version) can not be loaded.

Useful information regarding multiplayer

  • When hosting multiplayer games over the internet, you will need to forward port 34197 in your router. Connecting to games that don't have their port forwarded might not work.
  • Since patches for Nintendo Switch take time to be published, the game on Nintendo Switch might be on an older version. Please select the "console" beta branch on Steam to make sure the versions match.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a demo available?
    Yes
  • What's the price of the full game?
    $30.00 or its equivalent in other currencies.
  • Why is the game so expensive in my country? It's cheaper on Steam.
    Since it's very easy to change country and region, and the game is not region locked, regional pricing could easily be abused. For this reason the price is roughly $30.00 in all regions, or equivalent in local currency.
  • Is there a physical box release I can buy?
    No, the game is only available on the Nintendo eShop.
  • Can I keep my username in multiplayer games?
    Yes, when logging in for the first time, remember to select "I already have a Factorio.com account". If you have an account created using Steam, you can set a password by logging in at https://factorio.com/login and select Log in using Steam.
  • Can I transfer my save to Nintendo Switch?
    The short answer is no. The long answer is yes, using multiplayer, the following way: Go to Settings -> Other on both devices and make sure your "LAN player name" is not identical. You might need to temporarily log out to change it. Select "Host saved game" and host a game with the save file you want to transfer. Uncheck "Public", check "LAN" and uncheck "Verify user identity". Connect to the game using "Browse LAN games" and then save the game. Remember that very large maps will run slow, not load at all or even crash the game.
  • Can I transfer my blueprints to Nintendo Switch?
    Same answer as above. You can for example transfer the blueprints by placing them in the "Game blueprints" tab of the Blueprint library before saving.
  • I'm getting "std::bad_alloc" when trying to load a save file.
    You are trying to load a save file that is too big and the console has run out of memory

Welcome new players

I don't expect an immediate influx of millions of new players from Nintendo Switch, but there will be quite a few fresh engineers crash landing. The Factorio community has a very good reputation of welcoming and helping new players, so keep up the good work! And thank you.