Broken Nintendo Switch: How To Fix Your Game Console

the Nintendo Switch has known issues: Joy-Cons sometimes breaks and cracks appear along the Switch vents or through the back corners of the game console. But, that doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new one. Your Switch can be repaired.

Nintendo’s handheld game console has been around for over four years with the first iteration will be released in 2017. The Switch has since seen gradual upgrades over the years with a version with better battery life, called the V2 switch, and a cheaper, portable-only Switch lite. (Here is the CNET Nintendo Switch Reviews and Nintendo Switch Lite Review.) A new OLED version is on the way in October. It should have a 7-inch OLED display, better speakers, optimized storage, and more. (The Nintendo Switch OLED may not be for you, but if so, you can pre-order one at present.)

Last spring my Nintendo Switch had become a filthy mess. Screen stained and covered with dust. Oily Joy-Cons. My children were playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons for days, pushing him off the dock in the morning. I told them to be careful – so I saw the crack on the back.

Read more: Best Nintendo Switch games to play in 2021

It wasn’t a big crack. But it was there. Of course, I panicked.

I have problems with things that break. And I am not a repair oriented person. I have no solution in my blood. My garden is a mess. The mess terrifies me, and yet it happens. And sooner or later the electronics are damaged.

I searched my problem on Google and saw that many others had similar cracks in well used systems as well.

Read more: Best Nintendo Switch controllers for 2021

So maybe it wasn’t my youngest child, whom I blamed. I breathed. I looked for how to fix it. Because at the time, Nintendo Switch consoles were not easy to buy and Nintendo had suspended official repairs.

I’ve seen others posting pictures of their switches with new colorful cases they put on and Joy-Con kits that they carefully put together, or even Joy-Con fixes. A cracked plastic back? Come on, Scott. You can do it.

Read more: How to trick your Nintendo Switch

iFixit immediately appeared in my search with a great step by step guide. You should use it. I’m here to tell you how I followed this guide and what I ordered.

Also, be aware that self-repairs like this could void your warranty, if you still have one. And to be safe just make sure you have cloud backups backed up for your games.

Price: how much does it cost to repair your Nintendo Switch?

I went to Amazon to get some spare parts: a back shell and front cover it seemed very well priced so I bought it ($ 9.95). I searched for Switch repair tools, and went with a set which had a bunch of separate large screwdrivers (vs. interchangeable head) (currently $ 14, but I paid $ 18.89). Total: $ 30.79.

They took a week to arrive – not as long as some orders at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps because they are for repairs.

Then I started.

Unscrewing Your Nintendo Switch: How To Remove The Game Console Back Plate

The next steps were to remove the original rear case. A few tips before continuing:

Place the Switch face down on a soft cloth. You don’t want to scratch it.

Remove the kickstand. You will need this before removing the back cover. It’s easy to take off, and Nintendo has a guide. Push a little to one side. Tying later is similar but in reverse.

Be very careful with the screws. Specialized three-winged screws and some Phillips head screws are incredibly small. Some are also very short. I unscrewed them all in the order recommended by iFixit, the four corners first.

It was OK, but some felt stuck in the grime. I was extremely worried about stripping the three wing screws. I kept the screwdriver still and turned firmly but gently at the same time.

Thank goodness the screwdrivers are magnetized, keeping the screws a bit attached after removing them. I placed them in small dishes, to remind myself where they came from. I didn’t dare drop one by accident.

• Then came the Micro SD card slotted screw, which was not as firmly attached.
• Next are two Phillips screws at the bottom, on either side of the USB-C port.
• Next, a Phillips head screw right next to the top vent.
• Then the middle-most screw on the side rails where the Joy-Cons normally slide, one on each side.

I gently removed the plastic; it gets stuck a bit. I noticed how much dust there was and some of the plastic tabs had already broken off.

Unexpected additional steps: transfer microSD holder and game cartridge cover

At this point, iFixit said to reverse the steps. But I realized that my Switch back cover was still missing some parts:

• The cartridge slot cover was on the original cover, but not on my new one.
• A small support near the microSD the card slot wasn’t on my new blanket either.
• Neither the small air vent lids at the bottom of the lid, nor the small squares of foam in the corners.

I panicked now, but decided to just move the pieces. I gently unscrewed the SD card and cartridge parts and reinstalled them on the corresponding areas of the new cover.

The ventilation covers, those weren’t that easy. I saw people in line gently peeled off and stuck. They are small strips of plastic. I took them off and found they had just enough grip left to stick them on like a sticker again, and sort of continue from there. The foam corner squares didn’t worry me.

What is the hardest part of DIY Switch repair? The lower plastic tabs

Then I hit a serious problem. I tried to snap on the new cover, but it wouldn’t fit. A plastic bottom corner does not snap into place. It seemed that the hole in my Switch was not deep enough for the tongue.

I have no idea what happened here. There was nothing left in my Switch that I could see, and the back cover I removed was completely missing that plastic tab. I couldn’t find anything online that matched my problem.

It was time to improvise. I tried sawing off the plastic tab.

I used a pocket knife and started to gently try to remove the plastic tab from the back cover without breaking everything. This is where I felt like I had seriously left the road. Surprisingly, the tab broke and I was able to snap the cover on. Not ideal at all, but it worked.

The back cover was in place and all of the missing parts were now attached. Things seemed to be going in the right direction.

Last step: screwing the new Switch back cover (with care)

I reinserted the screws, in reverse order, going back to the steps I had taken in the first place. Small screws are even more difficult to replace than to remove. I tried lowering them and then positioning them on the magnetic screwdriver, and screwing them back very carefully, not over-tightening at all. I sweated. I may have removed a few screws a bit. I’ll never do that again, I told myself.

How long does it take to repair your Nintendo Switch? Approximatly one hour

I tried to document my repairs by propping up an iPad and showing what I was doing. And I took things very slowly. It was about an hour’s work. I was really stressed out. But I was damn proud when I was done. And then I turned on the Switch to make sure it was working. Yes, everything looked (and looks) fine.

I did it.

I showed my son how the cracked back looks very nice and smooth now everything is fine.

He just nodded and asked to play Animal crossing.

I gave him the Switch and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes and cook dinner. I felt more confident in a world where I felt out of control. I breathed. Repairs can take place, new skills can be learned. Broken switches can be repaired. It’s my little story of my own anxieties. Hope you are feeling confident and careful enough to face your own as well.