Does Nintendo want to end the physical games? Some switch 2 games will not be on the cartridges that you will buy

Switch 2 games will not be on the cartridges in the boxes you purchase. Nintendo is clearly taking another step towards going completely digital, but still keeping a physical object.

In an hour of presentation, Nintendo said a lot about the Switch 2, its new console available on June 5, 2025. Between the presentation of its first game, Mario Kart World, which reinvents its formula, features such as the arrival of a GameCube emulator or the demonstration of the Joy-Con mouse mode, the conference was rich in information. Part of the latter was also dedicated to game cartridges specific to the Switch 2.

Read also – The Switch 2 is sold at a stratospheric price, is it still a family console?

You can see it in the illustration image of this article: at first glance, they are identical to those of the Switch 1, except for their red color. And yet, their operation will be very different. The Nintendo support site has in fact put online a page dedicated to what is called a Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Card. In short, its existence means that sometimes, the cartridge you find in a Switch 2 game box will be empty, or nearly so.

Some Switch 2 cartridges will not contain any games when you buy them

In short, you will not be buying a full game, but a cartridge containing a key required to download the entire title. “After downloading, you can play the game by inserting the Game Key Card into your console and starting it like a standard game card,” Nintendo’s website states. It is therefore a mixture between physical and digital game, justified by the fact that some are too large to fit on the support.

Fortunately, this doesn't mean that you'll need a constant internet connection to enjoy them. Nintendo makes it clear that if one is required when first starting the game, it can then be launched without it. But even if the player does have a cartridge, the game itself will be dematerialized. This raises the question of their future when the Switch 2 servers no longer function, due to a technical issue or by decision of the company.