Nintendo Switch users are angry about game sharing after the new system update
No more offline game sharing on Nintendo Switch for you
😢 Nintendo has closed an apparent game-sharing loophole with the Switch's latest system update
👎 It adds in Virtual Game Cards, treating digital games as physical ones, so you can't play the same digital game online across two systems at the same time
😡 Fans aren't happy about the news, with some calling it a “downgrade”
🆕 The update also adds in Nintendo's new GameShare system, although you do need a Switch 2 to use it
Nintendo Switch users haven't responded well to one change made by the console's latest system update.
After installing the new Nintendo Switch system update, it’s no longer possible to play the same digital game online across two systems at the same time. Previously, you could have one primary console load up a digital game, and play alongside the owner of the game if they were also logged into a second Switch.
As a result of Nintendo's new 'Virtual Game Cards' system that treats downloadable games as if they were physical ones, this apparent loophole has been closed.
You can still play a single copy of a digital game while playing offline, which lets you play without the Virtual Game Card, but it is a faff to get there. It can be done by enabling a new Online Licences option that's deep in your Profile's user settings, although it will only work if the game isn't being played elsewhere, or as long as the game isn't also played elsewhere on another offline Switch.
According to Nintendo's notes, only the user who is signed in with the original Nintendo account used to purchase the software will be able to play it – it will no longer be accessible to other users on the same console. Online game licences can't be used on multiple consoles at once, while both the licence and virtual game cards also can't be used at the same time.
Switch users on ResetEra (thanks, Eurogamer) haven't taken too kindly to the news from Nintendo, calling the Virtual Game Cards a “downgrade”, as playing online while game sharing already works on both Xbox and PlayStation.
In addition, another user had noted that they had logged “hundreds of hours of Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing off of a single digital purchase”, with this new rule seemingly putting an end to that experience.
The new Switch update also adds GameShare that seeks to alleviate the above change somewhat, although it’s only compatible with certain Switch 2 games. It works by letting you play supported software on your Switch with a nearby Nintendo Switch 2 owner, though support is handled on a game-by-game basis, and requires a Switch 2 before you even begin.
The Switch 2 is finally up for pre-order in the USA, ahead of its June 5 release date that's just over a month away – a date that Nintendo said was 'very good timing'.
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.