Physical vs. Digital Games on Nintendo Switch 2: What to Know Before You Buy

On Switch 2 a game can come as a regular game card (the game data is on the card), a game-key card, or a digital purchase. Nintendo describes a game-key card as a card that "does not contain any game data, but only includes the 'key' required to start the game." It looks like a physical game in a box, but it works more like a download.

Some publishers also sell download codes in physical packaging with no card at all. Before buying a boxed game, check the packaging or listing for which of these you are getting.

No. The Nintendo eShop sells digital games only; a game you buy there is added to your Nintendo Account and downloads to the console. Boxed copies, whether regular game cards or game-key cards, come from retailers such as Amazon, or from Nintendo's own online store (My Nintendo Store), which Nintendo launched in the US and Canada to sell both physical and digital games.

If a physical copy matters to you for resale or offline play, check the listing says "game card" rather than "download code" or "game-key card".

Regular game cards run from the card, so they barely use storage. Digital games and game-key cards both install the full game, so they compete for the console's 256 GB internal storage. Nintendo lists the space a game-key card needs on its packaging.

If most of your library will be digital or game-key cards, plan for a microSD Express card. Ordinary microSD cards can't store Switch 2 games; our storage guide explains the difference.

A regular game card plays without any download or connection. A game-key card needs an internet connection the first time you launch the game; after that, Nintendo says it can start offline, as long as the card is inserted.

Digital games can be played offline once loaded, but they depend on your Nintendo Account, and moving a virtual game card to another console needs an internet connection. If you want a game you can still install years from now without the online store, only a regular game card guarantees the data is on the card.

Physical games, including game-key cards, can be sold, traded or lent like any cartridge: Nintendo says a game-key card works in another Switch 2 after the same download step. Digital games can't be resold.

Digital games gained some flexibility with virtual game cards. Up to two consoles can be linked per Nintendo Account, with a game playable on one linked console at a time. You can also lend a digital game to a member of your family group for 14 days; you can't play it while it's lent, and games available only through Nintendo Switch Online can't be lent. Switch 2 exclusives and Switch 2 Edition games load only on a Switch 2.

Choose regular game cards if you resell games when you finish them, share with friends outside your family group, or want to play without downloads. Choose digital if you want your whole library installed and switch games often, and budget for a microSD Express card. Treat game-key cards as digital games that come with a resellable key, and check the download size on the box.