Switch 2 Game Cards vs. Game-Key Cards: What's the Difference?

Yahoo

09-05-2025

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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.
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. The console has 256GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD Express cards, up from 32GB on the Switch 1. Many have criticized Nintendo for devaluing physical media, but the Switch 1 already had a similar concept. Ever purchase a compilation title? There's one game on the cart and the others need to be downloaded. Plus, PlayStation and Xbox have had code-in-a-box releases for years.
Nintendo provides a helpful indicator on the box, but get ready to squint. As illustrated in the image below, the case shows the game's rating in the bottom-left corner. Next to that is a key logo and the words GAME-KEY CARD. In very, very small print, it also says how many gigabytes of free space you need and a note: "Full game download via internet required."
While we've likely moved beyond the days when confused parents couldn't tell the difference between the Wii and Wii U, Nintendo notes that the Switch 2 "supports both regular game cards and game-key cards," which leaves room for consumer confusion. If a publisher opts to use the game-key card format, there won't be a separate release on a true game card (at least not yet), but you might still grab a game off the shelf in Target only to get home and realize it's a game-key card.
Sure, the game's still there, but if physical media matters to you, it could be a dealbreaker. After all, if a game is on the cart, it can be theoretically played forever. If you need an internet connection to download the game, what happens when those servers go offline one day?
Looking at the listings on Target and GameStop, many publishers have decided to use the game-key card format. Square Enix's Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD, Capcom's Street Fighter 6 Year 1-2 Fighters Edition, Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws, EA's Madden NFL 26, and IO Interactive's Hitman: World of Assassination will all require downloads to play. Sega in particular seems to have fully embraced the format for Yakuza 0 Director's Cut, Sonic X Shadow Generations, and more. There will certainly be more in the future; the Switch 2 doesn't launch until June 5.
Nintendo seems to be banking on a lot of AAA releases heading to the Switch 2, including Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Elden Ring, both of which feature pretty hefty file sizes. That said, Cyberpunk 2077 fits on a 64GB cart, so it's possible more games can have a true physical release, though many companies will likely take advantage of the cheap production costs of a game-key card. Sega, for example, is putting Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S—a game that is 4GB on Steam—on one.