Nintendo Fixes Switch Error Code Preventing Purchases

Nintendo Switch players were running into an unusual error code that’s been preventing them from making purchases through the Nintendo eShop. While the problems with the purchase of Nintendo Switch games seem to have passed, the error reportedly interfered with several prospective customers’ attempts to take advantage of special holiday sales.

According to Nintendo’s official Network Maintenance Information and Operational Status page, the problem with buying games through the Nintendo eShop seems to have been resolved, as it is showing at the time of this publishing that all servers are operating normally. The issue seems to have been addressed a short time after initial reports of shop errors started coming in.

Multiple Nintendo eShop users reported on October 31 that when trying to make online purchases, they were met with Error Code: 2813-5304. According to Nintendo online customer support, this is an error code that Nintendo eShop shoppers may see if a user’s billing information, and particularly their ZIP or other postal code, has been entered incorrectly. While there appears to be no official word from Nintendo about why many eShop users were regularly receiving this code on October 31, the support page states that if the problem persists despite the correct billing information being entered, users should wait and try later, as the code may also be tied to a temporary issue. That seems to have been the case in this situation, as many users complaining about the error code had reported being able to make their purchases by November 1.

Nintendo eShop Suffers an Untimely Purchasing Error

The timing of the apparent error was especially problematic, as some Nintendo fans reported they had been trying to take advantage of the final day of Nintendo eShop’s big Halloween 2024 sale, which ended on October 31. The two-week-long sale included discounts on 40 different games and DLC content packs, with some popular games like Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition seeing their regular prices slashed by up to 80 percent. While the issue seems to be resolved, some Nintendo fans have been put off by the timing of their purchasing problems, stating that they ultimately decided not to buy the games through Nintendo after missing out on the reduced prices.

This isn’t the first controversy with the Switch’s eShop in 2024. In early March, critically-acclaimed RPG Octopath Traveler was pulled from the Nintendo eShop without any explanation from Nintendo, though players were still able to pick it up through Xbox and PC online shopping services. That issue seemed to have been resolved in mid-April, when the game again became available for purchase on the eShop with the publisher switched from Nintendo to Square Enix, though neither entity offered an official word on the reason for the temporary unavailability.