Some physical Nintendo Switch 2 games will be download-only ‘Game-Key Cards’

Nintendo has revealed that physical copies of certain games on the new Switch 2 console will be ‘Game-Key Cards’, requiring a download before they’re playable.

Inserting the Game-Key Card for any of these games brings up instructions on the Switch 2’s HOME screen of how to download them.

Following the download and opening the game for the first time, an online connection isn’t mandatory to play the game – only the physical Game-Key Card.

As Nintendo’s support page for Game-Key Card titles explains, these download-only games are clearly flagged as such on the front of the box.

This notice will also state how much free storage is required on the user’s Switch 2 or microSD Express card to download and play it.

Two launch window Switch 2 games that appear to be Game-Key Card releases are Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster and Street Fighter 6, based on listings by Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi.

This isn’t totally new for a Nintendo platform – as Eurogamer points out, LA Noire on Switch required a 14GB download before it was playable. Numerous physical copies of existing Switch games, too, only include download codes in a box.

This could represent a sea change for collectors of physical Nintendo games, however, depending on how widely the Game-Key Cards are used by publishers across the Switch 2’s lifespan versus regular physical releases.

On modern consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, physical copies of games that don’t include the game are more prevalent. For example, 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PS5 required a 150GB download at launch, while only 72MB of data was included on the disc.

The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5.