It’s been a long time coming, but Crunchyroll, the famous anime streaming service, is finally available on the Nintendo Switch. Here’s how you can download it and start watching your favorite anime on your favorite console.
Crunchyroll is finally available on Nintendo Switch
In February, Crunchyroll entered a select group of Nintendo Switch streaming services with the cutest trailer ever. You can already find the Crunchyroll app in the Nintendo eShop. It lets you watch your favorite anime in handheld or tabletop mode or blast it onto your TV screen with the help of the dock.
It is one of the few streaming services available on the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, others like Netflix or Disney+ aren’t available on the console at the moment. But you can still find other streaming services like Pokémon TV, YouTube, Twitch, and now Crunchyroll.
And all! Once the Crunchyroll app is installed on your Switch, you need to open it and log in or create a new account. You can even skip all that, browse the Crunchyroll library first, and start watching some anime.
What You’ll Need to Use Crunchyroll
Like Netflix and other streaming services, Crunchyroll is a paid service. You will need a subscription to enjoy Crunchyroll’s premium features, such as offline and ad-free viewing.
However, the really cool thing about Crunchyroll is that you can use the service for free. Without subscribing, you can still watch every episode and movie available – except the newest ones. Of course, this means you won’t get all of Crunchyroll’s features, and you’ll have to watch (lots of) ads with each episode you watch. Still, it’s a great deal if you’re on a budget.
Otherwise, Crunchyroll offers two different premium services – a Fan and a Mega Fan subscription. The Fan subscription costs $7.99/month, which you’ll pay annually. The Mega Fan plan costs $9.99/month, or you can go for an annual Mega Fan subscription for $99.99, effectively giving you two months free. Or you can go the free route and watch your favorite anime with few limitations.
Nintendo Switch is still behind
Unfortunately, if you’re not that big of an anime fan, you don’t have many streaming options on the Nintendo Switch. Unlike the PlayStation and Xbox, the Nintendo Switch lacks some popular subscription services. Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and many others are missing from the platform. What’s more, there’s no indication when, or if, these streaming services will be available on Nintendo consoles.
Crunchyroll becomes the third streaming service to launch on the Nintendo Switch in recent months. The first Pokémon TV app was due in September 2021. And earlier this year, Twitch also released an official app for the Nintendo Switch.
welcome, crunchroll
This is great news for anime fans. You’ll be able to watch anime on the go or take it to the big screen at home in a flash. But if you’re still not sure Crunchyroll is worth the money, there are other excellent streaming services available.
Before streaming services, it was a challenge to find where to watch anime if you weren’t in Japan. Streaming services provided easy access to vast media libraries of every genre, including anime. Then came the anime-centric platforms that were every fan’s dream.
Beloved classics, exciting new releases, everything was within reach, and you had the option of using it – subbed or dubbed. Even better, many services let you watch upcoming episodes in Japan, ensuring you don’t see an accidental spoiler that ruins the experience for you.
Among the most popular features, you’ll find Death Note (the series, not the terrible movie adaptation) as well as Naruto, and Eggretsuko to name a few, which are outright masterpieces. There’s a separate anime section that you can browse through, and once you land on a title, you can watch it subbed or dubbed.
Netflix’s anime catalog may seem a bit sparse compared to other platforms, but since it’s one of the most widely accessible streaming services out there, it’s still impressive.
The cheapest Netflix subscription you can get is $8.99 for its Basic plan.
Hulu offers over 400 titles in the anime genre, including some of the most famous names like Naruto Shippuden, One-Punch Man, and Sailor Moon. Hulu lets you host watch parties with up to eight other people, so you can all have the same anime viewing experience together.
A Hulu subscription will set you back $12/month for the ad-free experience and $6/month for the ad-supported experience.
3. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll does offer non-anime features, but it is essentially an anime-focused platform that boasts over 1,000 titles and 30,000 anime episodes. Crunchyroll not only offers well-known and more exclusive anime titles, but it also has originals for you to enjoy, including titles like The Gods of High School and Onyx Equinox.