Nintendo Switch 2 Games Shift to Game-Key Cards in Japan and West

Most physical third-party Nintendo Switch 2 games revealed in Japan are Game-Key Cards, with a similar trend emerging in Western markets.

According to Gematsu, Japan’s Switch 2 pre-order launch showed that all third-party physical games, except CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 and non-Nintendo Switch 2 Editions, are shipped as Game-Key Cards, requiring an internet connection to download the full game.

Ys X: Proud Nordics and No Sleep for Kaname Date are also game-key cards in Japan. And retail descriptions for Split Fiction list it as a code-in-a-box. pic.twitter.com/dCTUsTmNQZ

— Gematsu (@gematsu) April 24, 2025

In the West, Sega’s Switch 2 titles are also Game-Key Cards. For instance, the Walmart listing for Sonic X Shadow Generations confirms this format.

Only four third-party physical Switch 2 games avoid the Game-Key Card format: Cyberpunk 2077, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion - Nintendo Switch 2, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma - Nintendo Switch 2, and No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES Aiba Edition.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal clarified that some Switch 2 game cards contain only a download key, not the game itself, while Switch 2 Edition games include both the game and upgrades on the cartridge.

Switch 2 Game-Key Cards are physical cards with a download code, lacking game data. Users must download the game after inserting the card. Each Game-Key Card case is clearly labeled on the lower front, ensuring buyers know what they’re purchasing.

Titles like Street Fighter 6 and the Bravely Default remaster carry the Game-Key Card disclaimer, while Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza do not. Cyberpunk 2077, requiring 64 GB on Nintendo Switch 2, is provided on a cartridge.

Nintendo Switch 2 Game Boxes

Daniel Ahmad, Director of Research & Insights at Niko Partners, noted that the reliance on Game-Key Cards could strain the eShop during the Switch 2’s June launch as players rush to download games.

All the Switch 2 bundles come with a download code.

Mario Kart World is 24GB.

Most games come on a game key card and require a download.

The Switch 2 launches globally on the same day.

I am not a religious man, but I ask you all to pray for the Eshop servers on June 5.

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) April 24, 2025

“Game cards cost more than discs and scale with storage size,” Ahmad explained, highlighting why publishers opt for this approach.

“Producing high-capacity game cards takes time. Digital games and lower-capacity cards yield better margins, with digital sales dominating the market.”

Christopher Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, described Game-Key Cards as “essentially gift boxes for downloads.”

“With fewer game retailers, rising production costs, a younger audience indifferent to physical media, and a push for sustainability, physical media is declining,” Dring noted.

Switch 2 pre-orders began on April 24 and sold out quickly. In response, Nintendo fans are flooding eBay with fake Switch 2 auctions to counter scalper listings.