Here’s Everything We Know About Nintendo Switch Virtual Game Cards

The March 2025 Nintendo Direct was packed with updates on new games like Metroid Prime 4, but one of the most potentially impactful announcements had to do with how digital games work on the console. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, many players may soon find themselves wanting to share games between consoles, especially those who have kids or live with other people who use a Switch. A big change is coming for how Nintendo Switch players can share digital cards, and it’s called a Virtual Game Card.

What Are Virtual Game Cards?

When the feature rolls out, Switch games that are purchased digitally will appear on the console as Virtual Game Cards, which can be shared with other Switch consoles. That will allow players who have two Switch consoles to purchase a game on one console, then “eject” the Virtual Game Card and load it on the other to play. You can only share Virtual Game Cards with one other console this way, and they must first be paired over a local wireless connection before games can be shared. However, limited-time lending will let Virtual Game Cards be shared with more users.

How Does Sharing Virtual Game Cards Work?

Nintendo Switch consoles will have a designated screen showing their users’ collection of Virtual Game Cards. From that screen, players can select which games they want loaded on each of their consoles. Each game appears to only be playable on one console at a time, so if you send a game to a second console, it can no longer be played on the initial console where it was purchased until it’s returned.

Virtual Game Cards can also be loaned to other consoles connected through a Nintendo Family Group in your Nintendo Account. Only one game can be loaned to each console this way, and they will be returned to the primary console after two weeks. Save data will remain on the console where the game was played, so you can loan it out again to have your family member pick up where they left off.

How Do Virtual Game Cards Compare To Nintendo Switch’s Current Game Sharing Feature?

Virtual Game Cards seem simpler than the current method for sharing Switch games between consoles. Currently, the process involves logging into your Nintendo account on a second Switch after buying a game, designating that console as our primary system, and setting your actual main console as a secondary system. It’s a bit of a pain, and requires the secondary console to remain online to play games, but it does allow games to be played by two consoles at once using two different Nintendo accounts. The system only allows games to be shared between two consoles as well.

The Virtual Game Card system makes the process easier and allows shared games to be played even if the console using them is offline. It also means games can be loaned out to multiple different consoles at once. On the other hand, Virtual Game Cards seem to disappear from the primary console when they’re loaned out, meaning they’ll only be available on one console at a time.

Overall, Virtual Game Cards seem more convenient for families with more than two Switch consoles, especially if some players have inconsistent internet access. However, it looks much less useful for anyone who routinely shares games between only two consoles and could eliminate the ability to play on multiple consoles simultaneously.

When Will Virtual Game Cards Be Available?

Nintendo says Virtual Game Cards will launch in an update in late April, but hasn’t specified exactly when that will come. That puts the launch a few weeks after the upcoming Nintendo Direct focused on the Switch 2. Nintendo has already said that Virtual Game Cards can be shared with the Switch 2 when the console launches.