Dear Nintendo, stop trying to make Game-Key Cards happen

Nintendo Virtual Game Key Card
(Image credit: Nintendo / Future)

As soon as we get some positive updates with Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders finally going live in the US, gamers are let down once again – with the recent news that most physical third-party games coming to the console will take the shape of "Game-Key Cards" as opposed to data being readily installed on the game cartridges themselves.

These Game Key Cards are essentially just physical access keys, and differ from the traditional cartridges in that they don't hold any physical game data on them. This means that Nintendo fans purchasing physical copies of new releases for the Switch 2 will still need to download and install the game onto their console from the Nintendo eShop using this game card download key, which is very silly if you ask me. What's the point in a physical purchase if there's no physical data on the cartridges?

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Beth Nicholls
Ecommerce Writer

Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly.