It has been revealed that most third-party packaged software for the Nintendo Switch 2 is just a 'key card' that does not contain game data



As pre-orders for packaged software for

the Nintendo Switch 2 begin, it has become clear that most third-party packaged software is just a ' key card ' that does not contain any game data.

Looks like most Switch 2 third-party physical releases don't have the game on the card | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/looks-like-most-switch-2-third-party-physical-releases-dont-have-the-game-on-the-card



Nintendo Switch 2 packaged software includes 'key cards' that do not store game data and only store the key to start the game. To play the game with a key card, you will need to download the game data over the Internet the first time you start the game, so you will need an Internet connection. Key cards are almost the same as downloadable software, but have the advantage that they can be resold .

It is clear that the packaged version of the Nintendo Switch 2 software has a 'key card' that only stores the key to start the game, and it is necessary to connect to the Internet to download the main game data and insert the key card when playing - GIGAZINE



When pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 game software began, it was revealed that most of the third-party packaged software that is not ' Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ' is a key card. According to game media Gematsu , at the time of writing, most third-party packaged software is a key card except for ' Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition '.



When we actually checked, we found that titles such as ' Nobunaga's Ambition: A Realm Reborn with Power-Up Kit Complete Edition ,' ' Shine Post Be Your Idol!, ' ' WILD HEARTS S ,' ' Survival Kids ,' ' Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster , ' ' Kunitsuga: Path of the Goddess ,' ' Yakuza 0: The Place of Oath Director's Cut ,' ' Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S ,' ' DAEMON x MACHINA TITANIC SCION ,' 'RAIDOU Remastered: Tales of the Super Power Corps Digital Deluxe Edition,' ' Sonic x Shadow Generations ,' and ' Street Fighter 6 Years 1-2 Fighters Edition ' clearly state on their official websites and sales pages that the packaged version will be the key card.



With many third-party game publishers adopting key cards not long after the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, gaming media Eurogamer.net points out that 'this sign is unlikely to please collectors of packaged versions. However, key cards do have one clear advantage over standard downloadable software in that they can be resold.'

・Added on April 26, 2025 at 10:20
Michal Nowakowski , co-CEO of CD Projekt, the developer of Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, said in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account that 'We were able to fit both Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 (the main game and the expansion pack Temporary Freedom ) onto a 64GB game card,' highlighting that the entire game data is stored on the game card.




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in Game, Posted by logu_ii