Are My Nintendo Gold Points going away? Nintendo sunsets program in March

Earlier today, Nintendo announced on their social media accounts that the long-running My Nintendo Gold Points program is being sunset starting March 25th. This program has been around since the days of the Nintendo Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo is finally getting rid of it.

If you’re a Nintendo Switch player in the current era, you’re likely familiar with the Gold and Silver points that you can earn from doing different things. While Silver Points can be earned in numerous ways (for now), Gold Points can only be obtained by making a purchase. That’s the part that’s going away.

Starting 9:30 PM PDT on March 24th, 2025 (or 12:30 AM Eastern on March 25th for those of us on the East Coast), it’s not going to be possible to earn Gold Points for My Nintendo anymore from the usual digital purchase methods.

But, what were My Nintendo Gold Points, and what is changing?

My Nintendo Gold Points were earned by purchasing games either physically in a store or digitally through the Nintendo eShop. The amount of Gold earned is dependent on the price paid for the game and they are used to give discounts on future digital purchases using the points during checkout.

Generally, Gold Points are still valid for 12 months after you earn them. That part is actually not changing, as you’ll still have access for 1 calendar year after the date you earn them.

Although digital content is losing the ability to earn Gold Points from new purchases, preorders made before the end time and date still will earn Gold, even after the end. As long as your preorder isn’t canceled, you’re still good. But, this appears to be the only exception.

The Silver Points that you can earn and redeem for in-game content and gear are still safe for now. But, it’s possible that future announcements may change them into something else. Only time will tell on those, as the Silver Points system is what replaced the long-running Nintendo Club before it.

Seeing as the Nintendo Switch 2 is being officially revealed on April 2nd, 2025, it’s possible that Nintendo is working toward introducing a new way to earn rewards for making purchases in the future. But, that’s only speculation on my part.

You can read all of the extra details about the My Nintendo Gold Points being taken behind the shed on the official Nintendo website. There is a nice table that explains what is changing and what isn’t in their FAQ.

While you still have time, you should check out all of the new cozy games coming to the Nintendo Switch this week. There are a lot and they all would earn you My Nintendo Gold Points (as long as they’re purchased before March 25th. Luckily, the games you buy now will also be backward compatible with the Switch 2.