The Morning After: Switch 2 user accidentally banned after playing pre-owned game cards

Engadget

15-07-2025

Be extra careful where you buy your used Nintendo Switch game cards. A Switch 2 owner posted on Reddit about how their account was banned after downloading patches for a few Switch game cards they'd bought from Facebook Marketplace. The Switch 2 user contacted Nintendo support and discovered they were banned, but they provided proof of purchase and were unbanned shortly after. The Redditor said the 'whole process was painless and fluid.'
Nintendo attaches unique codes to its Switch game cartridges to prevent piracy. However, bad actors can copy games to a third-party device, like the MIG Flash, and resell the physical game card, meaning the code can exist twice. Once Nintendo detects two instances of the same code online at the same time, down comes the ban hammer.
Nintendo continues to push back against piracy aggressively. It amended the Switch user agreement to allow it to brick a console it detects running pirated games or mods.
— Mat Smith
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