The Switch 2 adds a new wrinkle to its game-distribution system. Here’s what you get with a game-key card and how to tell which one you’re buying before you check out.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will feature several launch-day titles we’re excited to try, but how you access these games may differ from previous iterations of the console. The Switch 2 supports regular game cards, where the game files fit on the physical cartridge, but also game-key cards, which don’t actually contain the full game data. Here’s what you need to know before you pick up Mario Kart World or Metroid Prime 4.What Is a Game-Key Card?
As Nintendo explains, game-key cards are « your ‘key’ to downloading the full game to your system via the internet. » They come in a case and include cartridges that slide into the Switch 2, like any other physical release. However, you’ll need an internet connection to download the game’s files before playing.
After that initial download, you no longer need an internet connection to play, but the card does need to be inserted into the Switch 2. Game-key cards are also not tied to a Nintendo account, so you can use them on other Switch 2 consoles or lend and resell your games. (Nintendo also released a Virtual Game Card system that will make it easier to share digital games going forward, too.)
Switch 2 cartridges top out at 64GB, but they cost extra for the publisher, so game-key cards will help get huge games onto the card, Nintendo tells The Verge.
