YouTube is finally on the Nintendo Switch 2… sort of
Overview & Key Takeaways
You can watch YouTube on the Switch 2 by downloading Super Animal Royale and playing one of its videos in the external browser.
Did you know that despite the Nintendo Switch 2's brilliant gaming lineup, which includes the likes of Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Kart World, and Donkey Kong Bananza, it still doesn't have a native YouTube app?
It's in high demand if the number of social media posts requesting it is anything to go by, but there is a somewhat odd workaround. It has some caveats, but it is also free, so if you desperately want to watch YouTube on your Switch 2, it's worth a shot.
Image: Pixile via Polygon
Reddit user JampyL discovered that the multiplayer indie game Super Animal Royale has a scrolling feed of tertiary information, such as news stories and related videos, on its main menu. If you select one of the videos and then choose the "watch on YouTube" option, you'll be taken to an external browser application. You can then type in whatever you want to search for and watch YouTube videos on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Image: Ford James/Polygon
There are some drawbacks, however. Firstly, videos must be full screen, so you can't watch and scroll through comments simultaneously. Videos are also locked to 360p resolution, which isn't too bad in handheld mode, but if your console is docked, it looks pretty shoddy. Finally, the YouTube web page itself likely won't load properly; thumbnails may be missing, you might not be able to see logos and channel banners, but as long as you click on the specific videos, they play without issue.
Will YouTube be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 eventually? It should be a fairly safe bet because the app exists for the original Switch. The TeamYouTube X account also said that it was "scheduled to become available soon" a few months ago. However, that post was soon deleted, so they may have revealed the information prematurely or been mistaken. And hey, when you're done, why not play a little Super Animal Royale? It's a 2D cartoon battle royale for up to 64 players, and even though it's a different platform, the Steam reviews are currently sitting at "very positive," which indicates it's been pretty well received.
