Recently, “Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2” aired, and we got a bunch more information released afterwards. There’s a lot of incorrect info flying around, so I wanted to try and correct some of it.

Last updated April 24, 2025.

“Switch 2 Game Cards lack the game”

After the Direct, “Game-Key Cards” were revealed, which act as a license to download the game. Lots of people seem to have taken this as “Switch 2 games don’t have the game on the cards”, which is only correct for games that use Game-Key Cards. As was also revealed in the Direct, a newer Game Card for the Switch 2 was also made which features faster read speeds. So there will be Switch 2 games with the game on the Game Card.

Game-Key Cards are labeled as such on the box. One game that is not labeled is Mario Kart World, meaning this game will be on the physical card.

Read Nintendo Support’s page on Game-Key Cards.

“Game-Key Cards can’t be shared/resold”

Like mentioned before, Game-Key Cards are only different in that a download is required to play the game. They are not the same as download codes, and they still retain the other features of physical games, including the ability to share or resell them.

“Switch 2 games are US $80 digital/$90 physical”

This is not the standard price in US dollars, and the price is not confirmed to be different for physical and digital. These numbers may be correct for other regions, but in the United States, Nintendo has only listed a single price per game. For example, Mario Kart World is $79.99, and Donkey Kong Bananza is $69.99. There is currently no suggestion that digital will be cheaper here.

“Proprietary Nintendo-branded microSD cards are required”

The Switch 2 will only accept “microSD Express” cards due to the high speed requirements. Like many others, this Direct was the first time I had heard of microSD Express. However it is not proprietary to Nintendo, it is an open standard, and other devices may use it as well. It first became a standard in 2018 for full-size SD cards, and later in 2019 for microSD.

Like original microSD cards, there will be Nintendo-branded microSD Express cards, but these will be functionally no different to any other.

“Switch 2 emulates Switch 1 games”

Switch 2 is not hardware compatible with Switch 1, unlike past Nintendo consoles. But it does not emulate Switch 1 games. In Nintendo’s “Ask The Developer” series, it is clarified that it is a mixture of software emulation and hardware compatibility”

Dohta: If we tried to use technology like software emulators, we’d have to run Switch 2 at full capacity, but that would mean the battery wouldn’t last so long, so we did something that’s somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility.

Sasaki: This is getting a bit technical, but the process of converting game data for Switch to run on Switch 2 is performed on a real-time basis as the data is read in.

“Switch 2 is region-locked”

Nintendo will release a separate version of the Switch 2 that only supports the Japanese as the system language, as well as only Japanese Nintendo Accounts. This model is priced at 49,980 yen, or around 350 USD. This is not exactly the same as past region-locked consoles however, as it does not prevent you from playing out-of-region physical games, or from playing Japanese games on the “Multi-Language” variant.

Speaking of that, this means there’s no versions locked to other languages, only Japanese. This has apparently been due to the Japanese Yen being weak, and Nintendo wants to prevent people from importing a cheaper console by locking it to the Japanese language.

In Japan, the Japanese-only version will be the one available in stores, while the “Multi-Language” version is only available on the My Nintendo Store.

“Switch 2 Edition games are the Switch 1 version with an upgrade code”

In short, it seems Nintendo games will include the Switch 2 upgrade pack on the Game Card, however third-party publishers may decide to either include upgrades on the Game Card, or instead pack in a redeemable upgrade code.

According to Marvelous, Switch 2 Edition Game Cards will also work on Switch 1, and the right version will be chosen based on the console.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a red 64GB game card that includes, in full, the Nintendo Switch game and the Upgrade Pack.

There’s no need to download the full game: simply insert the card into either a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 console, and the correct version will launch automatically.

The confusion originated from “Does it play?”, which posted a screenshot of a response from Nintendo UK Support, claiming that the upgrade pack is only a download code.

Later, Marvelous stated on Twitter that Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, which is also getting a Switch 2 upgrade, will have the upgrade pack on the Game Card.

The Nintendo Switch 2 physical version of the game will be on cart, pending any patches or updates that you may be required to download.

Nintendo Prime stated on Twitter that Nintendo replied to an email about this question.

Regarding your query, if you purchase a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of a game on physical format, you will receive one cartridge with the upgrade already in it.

However, if you already had the game for Nintendo Switch 1 and only were to purchase the expansion update, you would then receive a digital Download Code regardless if you have it on digital or physical format.

“Nintendo will break your Switch 2 for modding it”

This deserved its own post. The short answer is no they won’t.

Addendum

Nothing in this post is made to defend or criticize Nintendo or fans who are upset at the corporation. Anyone is free to feel however they want about the Switch 2 console price, game prices, Game-Key Cards, and anything else. But misinformation helps nobody. One can be upset at a corporation without making false claims.

When it comes to hacking, check my last post on it: Don’t get your hopes up for Nintendo Switch 2 homebrew