Anime Streaming Now Available On Nintendo Switch Thanks To Crunchyroll's Arrival

Crunchyroll is now available on Nintendo Switch. (photo: Doc. Crunchyroll)

JAKARTA - Crunchyroll is now available on Nintendo Switch. Starting Friday, February 18, the anime streaming service will be available to download from the Switch eShop for free.

Later, Crunchyroll will give viewers full access to tens of thousands of anime episodes. In fact, the Crunchyroll app has been available for a long time on competing consoles, smart TVs, and other streaming-capable devices.

The Switch is notoriously lacking in streaming apps and non-gaming entertainment options compared to Microsoft and Sony consoles. So the company brought Crunchyroll to its consoles. Hoping it will be a much better experience than the Crunchyroll app on other platforms.

The Unreal Engine-powered app joins fellow anime streaming service Funimation, which has been available on Switch since late 2020.

Launching Digital Trends, Friday, February 18, Crunchyroll aims to differentiate itself by being the first streaming app to offer offline viewing on the Switch.

The company does offer a subscription service that removes ads and lets viewers watch episodes as they premiere in Japan, but those who don't subscribe can still watch episodes with ads.

Even with the addition of Crunchyroll, the Switch's various streaming and entertainment apps aren't quite as good as the Xbox and PlayStation. Prior to the release of Crunchyroll, Switch players could only choose from five video streaming services, such as Funimation, Hulu, Twitch, YouTube, and Pokémon TV, which streamed episodes of the Pokémon anime.

Those who use the Switch as their primary entertainment device cannot access Netflix, YouTube TV, Peacock, HBO, or many of the other major non-gaming streaming services.

While the inclusion of Crunchyroll brings some hope for the future of non-gaming entertainment on the Switch. Because Nintendo usually focuses on games above all else, so don't expect the console to suddenly become a non-gaming streaming platform.