Nintendo Switch owners with the console’s latest system update have noted that it is no longer possible to play the same digital game online across two systems simultaneously.
Previously, a Switch designated as a primary console could load up a digital game and play online alongside the owner of that game logged in via a second Switch.
Now, this “loophole” has been closed, due to the introduction of Nintendo’s new Virtual Game Cards system which treats digital games as if they were physical cartridges.
Users can still play a single copy of a digital game while playing offline, however. This is possible if you turn on a new Online Licenses option (buried in your Profile’s user settings), which lets you play a digital game even if you don’t have the Virtual Game Card – as long as it’s not being played elsewhere or, crucially, as long as it is being played elsewhere but on a Switch that is set offline.
“If this option is enabled, purchased digital software will be playable while the console is connected to the internet, even when the virtual game card for that software isn’t loaded to the console,” Nintendo’s explanation of the Online License setting states.
“However, when using an online licence, only the user signed int to the Nintendo Account that was used to purchase the software will be able to play it, it will not be playable for other users on the console. Your virtual game cards can be used to play software regardless of this setting. Online licences cannot be used on multiple consoles at the same time. The online licence and virtual game card for a software title cannot be used at the same time.”
Eurogamer has tested this for ourselves, and confirmed this system is now in place.
For instance, if console A shares a virtual game card with console B, only console B can access the game when both consoles are online. However, with the Online Licenses option switched on, if console B plays the game offline, console A is unable to tell if the game is being played and will still allow access.
Reacting to the changes, fans on ResetEra have a mixed response. “So Virtual Game Cards are a downgrade,” wrote one user.
“A major downgrade,” wrote another. “My wife and I played hundreds of hours of Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing together off of a single digital purchase.”
“You can play online while game sharing on PS and Xbox,” noted a third.
Another new feature added in today’s Switch system update is GameShare, which will alleviate this change somewhat – but only for select games on Switch 2.
GameShare lets you play supported software with a nearby Switch 2 owner, including on a Switch 1. But support for this will be on a game-per-game basis – and will require a Switch 2. So it won’t help anyone looking to continue sharing Splatoon 3 or Animal Crossing on Switch 1 in the same way.
Switch 2 is now just over a month from launch – though someone has already beaten the new version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild already at a demo event. Fans have also discovered that many third-party physical Switch 2 games do not actually have the game on the card, and will still require a download.