How to Watch HBO Max on Nintendo Switch(2023 Ultimate Guide)

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Emma
October 11, 2024

HBO Max was renamed to Max on May 23, 2023, but the below methods to watch Max on Nintendo Switch still work.

HBO Max offers everything on HBO’s cable channel, plus exclusive shows and additional films. It costs $15.99 a month for ad-free streaming, or $9.99 a month for ad-supported streaming. Most people who already have HBO through cable automatically get access to HBO Max without having to pay extra. You can use HBO Max on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, Android TV, iPhone/iPad, Android Phone/Tablet, Mac, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, and VIZIO Smart TV, etc. However HBO Max is not available on Nintendo devices.

Is HBO Max on the Nintendo eShop?

If you are looking for HBO Max on Nintendo eShop, you won’t be able to find it because as of this writing, Nintendo eShop does not have the HBO Max app. There are no official means to get the HBO Max app on Nintendo’s gaming console currently. The hybrid console can stream content from YouTube, Hulu, but not HBO Max. So, currently, you cannot watch HBO Max on any Nintendo device.

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What streaming services are available on Nintendo Switch?

Currently the streaming services which are officially available on Nintendo Switch are YouTubeHulu and Funimation, Pokémon TV, Crunchyroll and Twitch. If you connect your iTunes/Microsoft/Vudu/Amazon Prime account to a Movies Anywhere account and then also connect that to your Google Play/YouTube account, you can watch all your movies through the YouTube app(Library – Your movies & TV – PURCHASED) on Nintendo Switch.

Movies Anywhere integrates your digital purchase listings from Google, Amazon, Vudu, Fandango, and several other movie sites. Any movie you purchase from sites affiliated with Movies Anywhere will show up in your library. When you open YouTube through Switch and have a linked Movies Anywhere account, scrolling to the purchased movie will display that list.

  1. Download the Movies Anywhere app on your smartphone and create an account.
  2. On the right, tap “more”, then tap “manage retailers”.
  3. Now simply link your Google Play accounts.
  4. Go to the YouTube app on Nintendo Switch and sign into that same Google email.
  5. Click the folder icon and then “Purchases”.
  6. You will now see all of your movies available for streaming at no extra cost.

Are there any workarounds to watch HBO Max on a Nintendo Switch?

HBO Max is not available on Nintendo Switch. But, it doesn’t mean that you cannot watch the exclusive shows of HBO Max on your Switch. Actually you can watch it by running Android on your Nintendo Switch or downloading HBO Max videos to MP4 and then playing them on Nintendo Switch with Plex or YouTube.

 Option 1 Run Android on your Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch can now run Android, giving the hybrid game console access to HBO Max, Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, a wide array of Android apps. However, it involves installing a custom firmware or “mod” on your device. It’s important to note that installing custom firmware can void your warranty and may also potentially brick your device if not done correctly, so it’s important to proceed with caution and at your own risk.

There are a few different methods for running Android on a Nintendo Switch, but one popular option is using the LineageOS 15.1 custom firmware. Here are the basic steps to install LineageOS on your Nintendo Switch:

  1. Make sure your Nintendo Switch is running firmware version 3.0.0 or lower, as this is required for the installation process.
  2. Download the necessary files, including the Hekate bootloader, TegraRcmSmash, and the LineageOS 15.1 ROM, onto your computer.
  3. Put your Nintendo Switch into RCM (Recovery Mode) by following the instructions for your specific device model.
  4. Connect your Nintendo Switch to your computer using a USB-C cable.
  5. Use the TegraRcmSmash tool to send the Hekate bootloader payload to your Nintendo Switch.
  6. Select the “Launch” option in the Hekate bootloader menu, and then select “Stock + LineageOS.”
  7. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the LineageOS 15.1 ROM onto your Nintendo Switch.
  8. Once the installation is complete, you should be able to boot into Android on your Nintendo Switch.

Again, it’s important to remember that installing custom firmware can be risky, and it’s always a good idea to do your research and proceed with caution.

Option 2 Download HBO Max videos to MP4 and upload to YouTube

As you can install YouTube app on Nintendo Switch, how about uploading HBO Max movies and TV shows to YouTube? Sounds amazing? However, HBO Max movies and TV shows you downloaded with HBO Max ad-free plan can only be played with HBO Max app. To upload them to YouTube and stream there, you need a professional tool to download HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4 – Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader.

Option 3 Download HBO Max videos to MP4 and upload to Plex

The best way to watch HBO Max on a Nintendo Switch is to download HBO Max videos to MP4 and upload them to Plex. Then you can watch the HBO Max videos from Plex using the Switch web browser.

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What Is Plex?

Plex is an all-in-one media streaming and organization application. It’s a powerful platform with over 50,000 free on-demand titles plus over 250 channels of instant Live TV. With the free app you can add, access, and share all the entertainment that matters to you, on almost any device—including your own personal media collection. When you set Plex up, it will run a scan of all the directories you specify. Then, when you’ve launched the Plex Media Server app, you’ll find all of your media neatly organized in one place. Although Plex app is not available on Nintendo Switch, you can still access your Plex media library using the Nintendo Switch web browser.

So if you can upload HBO Max movies and TV shows to Plex, you can then watch them on Nintendo Switch. However, videos you downloaded from HBO Max app can’t be uploaded to Plex, since they are DRM-protected and can only be played within HBO Max app. To upload HBO Max videos to Plex, you will need a professional HBO Max Video downloader, which allows you to download any HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4.

How to download HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4 for playing on Nintendo Switch?

The smart tool we are talking about is called Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader, specially designed for HBO Max users who need more playback freedom. Pazu has the most advanced downloading core that enables you to download any video from HBO Max at high speed with all audio tracks and subtitles preserved. What’s more, it has wide compatibility with Windows and Mac systems; therefore, you can easily download HBO Max videos on Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7 and Mac computers without worrying about the system requirements of HBO Max download feature.

The following is the detailed tutorial to guide you to download HBO Max movies and TV shows on computer with Pazu HBO Max Video Downloader. It is an easy-to-use while powerful video editing tool that is available both on Windows and Mac. Download it from the button below to get started.

Steps to download HBO Max movies and TV shows to MP4

Step 1: First, you need to install the software on the device whether it is Mac or Windows. After launching the software, it will redirect to the screen where you have to log in to your HBO Max account.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 2: After logging into your account, type the show or movie you want to download in the search field and click the search icon.

HBO Max Video Downloader

Step 3: From the main interface hit the “Gear” button to select the video format, codec, audio and subtitle languages, output folder, etc. Since the H.264 MP4 is the Nintendo Switch best playback format, you can choose it as output option here.

HBO Max to MP4

Step 4: After making all the changes, simply click on the download button. For movies, the downloading starts immediately. For TV shows, you will be presented with all episodes. Select the seasons and episodes you want to download.

download HBO Max to MP4

Further, if required you can change the subtitle and audio track by clicking on the gear-like icon.

Within just a few minutes, you can now start watching the video offline anywhere. To see all the downloaded items, go to the History tab.

download HBO Max movie to MP4

Nintendo Switch doesn’t have a default media player, so you can’t play local video from the microSD card directly. You need to transfer the downloaded HBO Max movies to Plex or Movies Anywhere.

  1.  Launch the Plex Media Server, import above downloaded HBO Max videos following the screen wizard.
  2. Type the URL of your Plex in the address bar of Nintendo Switch’s web browser, you will find the videos in Plex, then just click on the video you want to start playing.

How to upload HBO Max videos to YouTube?

After downloading HBO Max videos to MP4, go to https://www.youtube.com in your computer browser. Click the Create icon on the top right corner and choose Upload video. Drag and drop downloaded HBO Max video files to upload. After uploading, you can watch the video in Library – Your videos from YouTube app or website on any device of course including Nintendo Switch.

HBO Max Video Downloader

HBO Max Video Downloader

Download HBO Max Video movies and TV shows to MP4/MKV on your PC/Mac