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Virtual Game Cards is a new way to share digital games between Switch consoles

Switch 1 and Switch 2 owners can send games across consoles and lend them to friends with Virtual Game Cards.

Donovan Erskine

March 27, 2025 7:44 AM

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The latest Nintendo Direct included an announcement regarding Nintendo’s virtual game ecosystem. The company is introducing Virtual Game Cards as a new way to manage digital libraries on the Switch 1 and Switch 2. Players will be able to determine which games are playable on what systems, and even lend games to their friends for a limited time.

Virtual Game Cards are designed to work just as flexibly as physical cartridges. As Nintendo explains in their video, players can take a Virtual Game Card from one console, and transfer it to another. The two systems will need to locally connect the first time that a game card is exchanged, but not on any subsequent transfers.

Players will also be able to lend games to members of their Nintendo Family group members. The player receiving the game will have full access to the title, as if they own it. Only one game can be lent to a person at a time, and the maximum length a game can be lended is 14 days.

Nintendo Virtual Game Cards will be available on the Nintendo Switch 1 and Switch 2. It’ll be added in an April software update. Other announcements from today’s Nintendo Direct include new Metroid Prime 4 details and a new app for Nintendo news.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_