Nintendo Virtual Game Cards are the latest innovation from the house that Mario built. This new feature for the Nintendo Switch family of consoles was announced during the March 2025 Nintendo Direct.
This new addition to the features currently available on Nintendo Switch arrives very soon and will change how fans share games forever.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about Nintendo Virtual Game Cards.
What Are Nintendo Virtual Game Cards?
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+ 4Nintendo Virtual Game Cards are a new way for players to share their games with others. The idea is to make your digitally purchased Nintendo games as flexible and convenient as a physical game card.
You can swap your Nintendo Virtual Cards between 2 consoles like you would with a physical cartridge. All you need to do is pair both systems via local communication, and you are good to go.
Sharing Nintendo Virtual Cards between friends and family is possible if the person is added to your family group. Up to 8 members can be added to any one family.
How Do Nintendo Virtual Game Cards Work?
click to enlarge + 4Once you purchase a digital game on the Nintendo Eshop, your game will be loaded onto your console as a Nintendo Virtual Game Card, allowing you and any other registered users on the console to play the game.
On the dedicated Nintendo Virtual Card management screen, you can load and eject any of your digital games, giving you control over which digital games are on your console at any time.
You can also load Nintendo Virtual Game Cards on a second Switch console. All you need to do is eject the game from the first console on the management screen, sign in to the other console, and load the game to start playing.
Being signed in and online is required when ejecting and loading each game.
If you connect to a member of your family group via local wireless connection, you can share your Nintendo Virtual Game Cards with them for up to 2 weeks. Just choose a game to loan and select lend to a family member. Once they download the title, they can play the game on their own console.
There is a limit of one game per family member at a time when lending games, and after 14 days, the games will automatically return to your console while retaining the save data for the person who borrowed the game.
When Will Nintendo Virtual Game Cards Be Released?
click to enlarge + 4The Nintendo Virtual Game Card feature will be available in a free update at the end of April 2025.
Will Nintendo Virtual Game Cards Work On Switch 2?
click to enlarge + 4Yes, Nintendo Virtual Game Cards will work on the Switch 2.
That is all there is to know about Nintendo Virtual Game Cards at this moment in time. Should additional features or information be added, we will update this guide accordingly.
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