YouTube is available on the Switch right now

Earlier in the week, we reported on the stacks of evidence that suggested YouTube was coming to Switch this week. Turns out the rumours were right on the money.

If you open up the eShop on your Switch right now, chances are that at the very top of the list, you’ll see Google’s ubiquitous video-streaming platform right at the very top. Downloading it will show that, yup, it’s YouTube alright.

The Switch version of YouTube appears to more or less identical to other console and TV versions of the app, meaning there aren’t any fancy bells and whistles that you might have expected. That means no video downloads for YouTube Premium subscribers and no clip uploads, which are both disappointing, but not unexpected, omissions. There’s also some really funky touch support — you can tap on videos and controls just fine, but oddly can’t scroll through the UI.

Like all other console versions of YouTube, you do have full access to movies and TV shows purchased through YouTube or Google Play, and there’s full support for subtitles and closed captioning. Unfortunately (but again, expectedly) there’s no background playback, and suspending the app will cause a playing video to totally reload when opening it back up. You’ll also have to log in by typing a code into a browser on your phone or PC, which is a little frustrating to say the least.

Now that YouTube is on the Switch, could we see Netflix, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, and other multimedia apps like Spotify making the jump? Only time will tell, but for now, you’ll just have to make do with YouTube, with everything good and bad that entails.

Aussies can click here to visit the browser-based version of the eShop page, and download the app to your Switch remotely.