# Nintendo's physical games have a catch > Switch 2 boxes still line store shelves, but a lot of them hold a key instead of a game. - Title: Nintendo's physical games have a catch · PCMAG | Shortify - Summary: Switch 2 boxes still line store shelves, but a lot of them hold a key instead of a game. Before you buy a Switch 2 game in a box, look for the small key logo… - Keywords: nintendo, switch 2, physical media, game preservation, gaming, technology, Nintendo's, physical, games, catch, PCMAG - Source: PCMAG — https://pcmag.com/explainers/nintendo-isnt-getting-rid-of-physical-games-watch-out-for-game-key-cards - Author: Jason Cohen - Published: 2026-09-11T18:04:30+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: nintendo, switch 2, physical media, game preservation, gaming, technology ## Discs are on the way out Sony drops disc support in 2027, GTA 6's boxed version is a code in a box, and reports say Xbox will stop backing physical games soon. > Physical media's dying. ## Nintendo's half measure Switch 2 physical releases are not ending, but Nintendo has its own compromise: the game-key card. ## A cartridge with no game Switch 2 supports normal cards that hold the game files. Game-key cards look identical but carry none of the data. ## It is a download key Nintendo calls the card your key to downloading the full game over the internet. First play means a download, no exceptions. > your 'key' to downloading the full game to your system via the internet ## The card still matters After the first download you can play offline, but the cartridge has to stay in the console. Pull it out and the game stops. ## You can still lend it Game-key cards are not tied to a Nintendo account, so they work on other Switch 2 consoles and you can lend or resell them. ## Players pushed back Critics say the format hollows out physical media. Nintendo responded by polling players on how they feel about game-key cards. ## Why they exist at all Switch 2 carts max out at 64GB and cost publishers a lot. Nintendo says key cards get games onto store shelves far more cheaply. ## Even tiny games qualify Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is about 4GB on Steam and still ships as a key card, because nobody wants to pay for storage they will not fill. ## Squint at the box Next to the rating in the bottom-left corner sits a key logo and the words GAME-KEY CARD, plus tiny print listing the free space you need. > Full game download via internet required. ## Check the cartridge itself A small key icon is printed on the cart. That is the tell if you ever buy a used game with no case. ## Shelf confusion is real One console takes both card types, and a key-card game gets no separate true physical edition. Buyers can get home and only then find out. ## The plane ride problem Buy a game before a flight and it will not load without Wi-Fi. Longer term, the game vanishes when the download servers go dark. > If a game is on the cart, it can be theoretically played forever. ## Publishers had no middle option At launch Nintendo reportedly offered third parties only the pricey 64GB cart or a key card. No cheaper standard cartridge existed. ## Nearly every big release The key-card list runs long: Elden Ring, Borderlands 4, Resident Evil Requiem, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Minecraft, Hogwarts Legacy, Star Wars Outlaws. ## Some are worse than that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Civilization VII, Split Fiction and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 are just a code in a box, no cart at all. ## Nintendo does it too The Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension DLC ships the same way, so this is not only a third-party habit. ## Listings lie The same game showed no key-card label on one retailer and did on another, since placeholder pre-order art often omits it. Check several sites and read the description. ## A collector's workaround Buy the physical Switch 1 cart, then pay for the Switch 2 Edition upgrade afterward. You keep a real cartridge in hand. ## It could still get better Cyberpunk 2077 fit on a 64GB cart, Bethesda reversed course and gave Oblivion Remastered a true physical release, and cheaper 16GB and 32GB carts are rumored. ## Key takeaway Before you buy a Switch 2 game in a box, look for the small key logo and "GAME-KEY CARD" label, because that cartridge holds no game data at all.