With its vibrant red and blue Joy-Cons, the Nintendo Switch has a distinctive design straight out the box. But since it's such a popular console, you may want to customize your Nintendo Switch in order to stand out from the crowd while playing your favorite games.

There are lots of different options when it comes to personalizing your Switch. Whether you want to put vinyls on your Joy-Cons or commission a one-of-a-kind paint job, in this article we'll explain the various ways to customize your Nintendo Switch.

1. Apply Vinyl Skins or Decals

StickyBunny skin on Nintendo Switch console and controller

One of the simplest and most affordable ways to customize your Nintendo Switch is to buy vinyl skins or decals. Skins are available in a wide range of colors, designs, and even textures—with matte, glossy, and patterned options available.

You can buy skins to fit the Joy-Cons, the console itself, the dock, and the controller accessories that come with your Nintendo Switch. These stickers fit precisely around the ports, sensors, and buttons on your Switch. That means they can be fiddly to apply correctly.

You also need to be careful that the skin you buy won't damage your Switch. When the Nintendo Switch first came out, one of the most popular skin manufacturers, dbrand, warned against using vinyl skins on the Switch because the sticky residue caused damage to the console. Since then, dbrand has worked alongside 3M to develop Nintendo Switch skins that are 100 percent safe to use.

But not all manufacturers have been so vigilant.

A full set of Nintendo Switch skins typically costs between $20 and $35. Make sure you buy skins that guarantee residue-free or safe removal. These are available from dbrand, DecalGirl, and StickyBunny.

2. Use Regular Stickers

Random stickers on a wall

We already warned about the risk of sticky residue damaging your Switch, so we don't generally recommend adding any old sticker to your console, dock, or Joy-Cons. However, if you're happy to throw caution to wind, there's nothing stopping you from doing so.

Adding any random sticker to your Nintendo Switch can be one of the easiest ways to show off your personality and customize it to your tastes. Whether you put a Mario sticker on the back or carefully apply Triforce stickers to each Joy-Con is entirely up to you. With such a wide range of stickers floating around in the world, your possibilities here are endless.

3. Use Colorful Craft Tape

Washi Tape with leaf pattern

Another affordable alternative to vinyls and decals is to apply colorful craft tape—also known as Washi tape—around the edge of your Switch's screen. Again, this runs the risk of leaving sticky residue on your console when you remove the tape, which could be permanent. But the low-tack nature of craft tape will at least lessen that risk.

Craft tape comes in all manner of different funky patterns, so you can shop around and pick out the perfect design to show off your Switch. Then, carefully stick it over the black bezel around your screen—depending on the tape you buy, you may need to trim it down to make it fit.

This is much easier on the original Nintendo Switch than the OLED model, which has far smaller bezels. But if you don't want the tape around the screen, you could always lay it in strips to create a wall of color across the back of the console.

4. Use a Snap-On Cover

Nintendo Switch customized snap-on cover from Etsy

Snap-on covers, made from hard plastic or silicone, are easier to apply and offer more protection than vinyl skins. At the same time, snap-on covers are even more affordable and come in a huge range of different designs and colors.

Most snap-on covers are only available for the Joy-Cons and the rear of the Nintendo Switch console. However, if you look hard enough, it's also possible to find snap-on covers for the dock.

Unfortunately, snap-on covers come with their own set of downsides. First, since they make your Switch thicker, there's a chance it won't slide into the dock with the cover on. Of course, this isn't a problem if you only use your Switch in handheld mode or if you're using a snap-on cover to customize a Nintendo Switch Lite.

Second, dirt and grit could find its way between the snap-on cover and your Switch. This causes scratches as the cover presses the dirt against the console. It's exactly the same with hard plastic phone cases, which is why the best phone cases are soft on the inside.

You can buy a snap-on cover for your Nintendo Switch for about $20. There aren't as many big-named brands offering them, so your best option is to look on Amazon or Etsy for a well-reviewed design.

5. Get Some Thumb Grips

Nintendo Switch with blue thumb grips

Thumb grips are a snap-on cover that's just for your joystick. You can fit them onto each joystick on your Joy-Cons to give them a custom look, improve the grip, or get more accurate control. They're available in a wide range of styles and are a quick and easy way to customize your Switch.

Take a look on Amazon to see what's available. You could turn your joysticks into Poké balls, cute cats, or the ghosts from Pac-Man. They're usually priced at around $10 and come in packs of four, which means you can put them on two sets of Joy-Cons, or just keep two spare for if the first ones wear out.

6. Mix and Match Your Joy-Cons

Nintendo Purple and Orange Joy-Cons

The Nintendo Switch comes with iconic blue and red Joy-Cons, unless you purchased the gray model. Since the standard controller combination is so recognizable, all you need to do to customize your Switch is mix up the colors.

This customization option involves buying at least one extra set of Joy-Cons (unless you find a willing partner to trade with). But having an extra set of controllers is no bad thing when there are so many great multiplayer games on the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo offers Joy-Cons in a range of different colors, making it easy to buy multiple sets then mix and match for a truly unique combination. You can also buy third-party Joy-Cons with a much lower price tag. Although the quality of these controllers is more variable.

You can get a new set of Joy-Cons from Nintendo for $80 or buy a third-party set for around $45.

7. Tweak the Nintendo Switch UI

Person playing Nintendo Switch with blue and red Joy Cons

Customizing the look and feel of your Nintendo Switch console is a great start, but to go all the way you should customize the Switch user interface as well. This can involve changing the theme and game layout on the home screen.

Nintendo doesn't offer a lot of options in the way of home screen customization. However, you can get custom themes by "hacking" your Switch with homebrews. Though that isn't an option for the faint of heart.

8. Replace Your Joy-Con Shells or Buttons

SNES-style joy-con shell replacements parts

If you're comfortable with electronics, you might want to consider customizing your Nintendo Switch by replacing the Joy-Con shells. The shell is the hard plastic casing on your Joy-Con. A good Joy-Con shell replacement gives your console a new design without compromising its professional finish.

Of course, replacing the Joy-Con shells is a risky procedure. It involves revealing the delicate electronics inside each controller, carefully handling ribbon cables, removing the batteries, and keeping track of numerous small screws. There's a real chance you could irreparably damage your Joy-Cons by attempting to replace the shells. Therefore, you shouldn't try it unless you feel confident in your abilities.

What's more, even if your shell replacement is successful, it will void any remaining warranty with Nintendo. If something goes wrong with your controllers down the line (such as the infamous Joy-Con drift) Nintendo will be under no obligation to fix it.

Joy-Con shells are available on Amazon for around $25 and often include all the tools you need for the job. By replacing the shells, you can change the color, introduce a traditional D-pad, or even mimic the design of classic consoles, like the SNES.

If you like the sound of that, take a look at our rundown of the best Nintendo Switch controllers to find other ways to use retro-style controllers with your Switch.

9. Give Your Switch a Custom Paint Job

Custom painted Nintendo Switch joy-cons

Possibly the only way to make your Nintendo Switch truly unique is to give it a custom paint job. This could involve removing the shell and spray-painting it yourself or hiring a professional artist to adorn your Switch with a custom design.

Once again, painting your Switch is likely to void any warranty you have with Nintendo. That means Nintendo won't repair your device if something else goes wrong, even if the paint job has nothing to do with it.

If you want to go ahead and paint your Switch anyway, the best place to find an artist—unless you already know one—is on social media. Look for other people who have had custom paint jobs on their Switch and find out who did them. Make sure whoever you hire for the job has painted Switch consoles before, with good reviews from their customers, so that you can be confident they know what they're doing.

If you want to paint your Joy-Cons yourself, it's best to dismantle them first to avoid getting any paint on the electronics. You'll need to use three different cans of spray paint: a primer, a main color, and a top coat. Be certain to keep the paint in a thin layer and allow plenty of time for it to dry before putting your Joy-Cons back together.

Make Your Nintendo Switch Your Own

With these suggestions, you can truly make your Nintendo Switch unique by matching its design to your taste and personality. You can go for a simple solution, like swapping out the Joy-Cons, or an intense procedure, like replacing the Joy-Con shells, to get your Switch looking exactly the way you want it.

Customizing your Switch is just one way to get more enjoyment from your games console.