FIX: Nintendo eShop Not Available in Your Country/Region
Using a VPN will let you access the Nintendo eShop from anywhere
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Key notes
- Nintendo eShop is an online shop that Nintendo 3DS and Wii U users can access to buy new games.
- Unfortunately, it's not available in all countries due to licensing issues.
- You can set a new device region and if that doesn't work, you can use a VPN service.
- Creating a new Nintendo account can also help, read on for more in-depth info.
Nintendo eShop is an online shop for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U gamers. Unfortunately, it’s not available in all countries due to licensing issues.
It makes it difficult for those who often travel abroad, to bring along their Nintendo console, but can no longer access eShop when connecting to the Internet.
It results in error code 2813-0998. Here’s what it looks like:
If you’re one of these individuals, don’t worry since we’re here to help you bypass error 2813-0998 and access Nintendo eShop from any location through geoblocking.
Why is Nintendo eShop not available in my region?
Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t hold the right to distribute all its games everywhere in the world.
If you are located in a restricted region, you will most likely get an error message like the one we mentioned above.
The company blocks access in an attempt to comply with its licensing policies it has.
What to do if Nintendo eShop is not available in my country?
1. Change your device country in Nintendo Switch
- Using your Nintendo Switch, go to the Settings area.
- Select System > Select Region.
- Set your region to The Americas.
- Open Nintendo eShop.
- When asked to enter a region, set United States.
- Go to Location Settings and click Change.
- Set a ZIP code from the US (e.g. 10026).
If you’re a US resident who’s currently traveling to a new country where Nintendo eShop is unavailable, the steps above should do the trick.
And you will be able to pay for new games using a PayPal account or a credit card, as long as it’s issued in the United States. Otherwise, you can only pay with prepaid cards.
However, if this solution didn’t fix the issue, proceed to the next step.
2. Use a VPN service
- Sign up for a premium VPN subscription plan (we recommend PIA).
- Download and install PIA on a Windows PC.
- Launch PIA and connect to a US server.
- Share your VPN connection.
- Connect your Nintendo to the VPN.
- Try to access Nintendo eShop now.
A VPN tool diverts your network traffic to another server, making it look like you’re connecting from somewhere else.
If Nintendo eShop takes your IP address into account, then you can make it seem like you’re connecting from the United States by simply connecting to a VPN US server.
We recommend Private Internet Access because we believe it’s the best VPN, overall. You can use it to not only unblock online gaming shops but also other types of restricted content.
PIA also provides an excellent solution for reducing ping while gaming. And you can set it up on all popular operating systems and devices, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and even routers.
Since Nintendo doesn’t have native support for VPN, you can install the PIA client on Windows or Mac to share the VPN connection. Otherwise, you can set it up at the router level.
Private Internet Access
Connect to a US server to unblock Nintendo eShop from anywhere in the world!3. More solutions you can try
If the problem persists and you can’t access Nintendo eShop in your region, try creating a new Nintendo account and setting a US location (you can use the ZIP code we provided in the first solution).
You can also try formatting your Nintendo device in case it remembers your old information and you can’t clear its cache.
In which region is Nintendo eShop available?
Currently, Nintendo eShop is available in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.
If you try to access it from elsewhere you will most likely get a Nintendo eShop not available in your country error message. Unfortunately, many users from unsupported regions want to access the website, and many reporting error messages like:
- Nintendo eShop is not available in your region Malaysia
- Nintendo eShop Philippines errors
- Nintendo eShop is not available in Taiwan
For those wondering Is Nintendo Switch eShop region locked in my location, we must mention that the Nintendo Switch game cards are only region-locked in the Asian region.
However, you cannot use a game card registered to a certain country to purchase from another country’s shop.
Moreover, the platform sometimes doesn’t work in locations where it should be supported, that’s why using a VPN is a recommended solution.
To sum up, if you can’t access Nintendo eShop because it’s not available to your region, you can change the device country on your Nintendo to a US location.
If the error persists, use a reliable VPN service like Private Internet Access to mask your IP address and make it look like you’re actually connecting from the US.
You can also create a new Nintendo account using a US region and format your gaming console in case it remembers your old information.
Did these solutions work for you? Let us know in the comment section below.
