Leak May Explain Why So Many ‘Physical' Switch 2 Games Are Actually Digital Downloads

Gizmodo

12-05-2025

The Switch 2's launch lineup is full of games you won't be able to play directly from Nintendo's prized game cards. The vast majority are either the derided game-key cards—physical cards with a built-in download link—or are fully digital releases. The latest leaks suggest Nintendo has drastically limited options for how third-party developers can publish games to Switch 2, restricting the number of proper physical titles—games fully stored on the game card—we'll see at launch on June 5.
According to a series of leaks stemming out of a hack of Arc System Works, the creators of Guilty Gear Strive, Nintendo only offers developers three options for selling their games on the Switch 2. Notorious Nintendo leaker Necrolipe wrote (read via machine translation) that there are only three formats available for third-party games. One is a digital download only. Devs can also opt for 'potion,' which is the internal codename for game-key cards. Finally, there are the 64GB game cards. Higher flash storage limits will necessarily be more expensive to developers and publishers.
This adds on to previous speculation coming from insider sources within the games industry. YouTuber Physical Paradise claimed last month that—according to 'inside information'—Nintendo gave publishing partners fewer options to port their games to Switch 2. Gizmodo reached out to Nintendo for comment, but we did not immediately hear back.
Nintendo's slate of launch games for the Switch 2 is mostly made up of third-party titles from well-established franchises. Other than the Switch 2 edition of Cyberpunk 2077, which was confirmed to use a 64GB game card, many of these games will be working off a game-key card, which is just an empty cartridge that takes players to a download link for the Nintendo eShop. You still need to have the cartridge loaded in the system to play the game. Out of the eight confirmed launch titles available for the Switch 2, at least three of those are confirmed to use game-key cards. Yakuza 0, Hitman World of Assassination, and Street Fighter 6 will all be digital downloads accessible via the card. The physical versions of Civilization VII and Split Fiction will be just a download code in a box, no cartridge included—not even as a game-key card, which means they can't be sold after the game is downloaded and connected to your Nintendo account.
These cards are akin to most game discs released today. Even if some game data is located on the disc, it may require hefty downloads that can eat up a console's included storage very quickly. This will be a bigger problem for Switch 2 buyers. Nintendo's sequel Switch only has 256GB of storage, with options to buy a separate microSD Express card to expand it. All first-party Switch 2 titles should be on physical game cards. Some of these titles, like the $80 Mario Kart World, will be just 23.4GB. This hints there are other flash storage options available, but Nintendo may be keeping those to itself.
Nintendo offered options for 8GB and 16GB game cards on the original Switch. Digital downloads are bad news if you plan on playing your Switch 2 for many years to come. Game preservationists have been very concerned over moves like Nintendo eliminating the Nintendo 3DS eShop and Microsoft effectively deleting games that were once only available on the Xbox 360 digital marketplace.
Gamers may also prefer titles that come on a physical card. As noted by Nintendeal on X, Walmart's current list of 'best-selling' games for Switch 2 are mostly its first-party titles, like Mario Kart World or Donkey Kong Bananza. The third-party games that seem to be selling well pre-launch include Street Fighter 6 at $60 and Cyberpunk 2077 at $70. Just remember that owning a game card doesn't necessarily mean you own the game. Nintendo's end-user agreement makes it clear all this software is a license, one that can be revoked at Nintendo's discretion.