A new leak has surfaced pointing to an upcoming feature for Nintendo Switch Online, a subscription service that rarely receives new additions beyond its game library.
The discovery came from data mining files tied to a recent Nintendo Switch Online update, and it hints at a change that could eventually affect how subscribers interact with the service.
Nintendo Switch Online's New Feature Discovered by Insider
The leak was uncovered by X user Idocode01, who found the new feature while going through files from the latest Nintendo Switch Online update on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. According to the leaker, Nintendo appears to be working on an events gift feature for the subscription service.
Idocode01 shared a new domain found within the files, along with two additional discoveries tied to the feature. Those include the sound file that plays when a gift is received, as well as a loading animation connected to the same system.
Beyond these details, there is little else confirmed about how the feature will actually function once it goes live.
A new Nintendo Switch Applet update is out for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
— Ben (@idocode01) September 28, 2026
Looks like a new Event Gifts system has been implemented? Looking into it pic.twitter.com/Fbv8Zl5ROF
NSO's New Feature Also Has Multiple Gift Event Feature
The files reportedly reveal that the system is built to support multiple gift events running at the same time rather than just one. Since Nintendo Switch Online is closely tied to Nintendo's own games and services, these gift events would most likely connect to various Nintendo titles rather than opening up to outside developers.
According to ComicBook Gaming, Nintendo has not commented on the leak or the speculation surrounding it. Fans have already begun offering their own theories about what the feature could look like once released.
One fan suggested it may simply be a more direct way to receive special icons, similar to how Splatfest icons currently appear after a set period, just replaced with an actual gift notification instead.
Another fan speculated it could let players gift profile icons to each other using challenge points they have already earned.
What to Expect From the New Feature
Since Nintendo is already fairly far along in developing this feature based on how much has been found in the game files, it is likely to be released in some form eventually, though nothing is guaranteed until Nintendo makes an official announcement.
Based on typical timelines between a leak like this and an actual public rollout, subscribers are not expected to see the feature before the end of the year, making it more likely to land sometime in 2027 instead.
Event-based gifting features tend to carry more weight later in the year, since that is typically when more games host special in-game events tied to holidays and other celebrations. Developers often use that stretch of the calendar to roll out limited-time content, making a gifting system a natural fit for the kind of promotions Nintendo tends to run around that period.
If the feature does arrive as expected, it could give Nintendo another tool to tie seasonal promotions and special unlocks more directly into the Nintendo Switch Online service itself.
