Nintendo introduces family sharing with Virtual Game Card ahead of Switch 2 release

Modified Mar 27, 2025 15:30 GMT

Nintendo introduced Virtual Game Card — Nintendo introduces Virtual Game Card (Image via Nintendo)

Nintendo has just announced the Virtual Game Card at their latest Direct livestream. This new feature is something that could change how we play and access games on this hybrid console. While the whole community is eagerly waiting for the Nintendo Switch 2 to launch, the company decided to surprise them with a feature that many have asked for a long time: sharing a digital copy of games with others.

Now, it is possible with the new Virtual Game Card to lend digital games, as if they were physical cartridges.

How does Virtual Game Card make sharing games easier on Nintendo Switch?

One of the reasons that many Nintendo Switch users own a physical game copy is for the ability to share it around. They can simply pop out the cartridge from the Switch and hand it to a friend or family member. But with digital games, that's never been an option — that changes now with the Virtual Game Card.

The Virtual Game Card is Nintendo’s way of bringing the ability to share a physical copy to digital purchases. From now on, when a newly bought digital game appears as a Virtual Game Card on an easy-to-manage library screen in the Switch, the Switch user can then "eject" the game from their library and load it onto a second system.

Before playing the title on whichever consoles, a one-time local wireless connection between the two systems is required to share the game card.

Virtual Game Card enables family sharing (Image via Nintendo)

That's not all that the new Virtual Game Card has to offer, as it also introduces family sharing. Nintendo users can now lend their digital game copy to family members if they are part of a Nintendo Account Family Group.

For this to work, the family group members' systems must be connected via a local wireless network, then pick the game and choose who to share it with. As the Nintendo Family group allows eight accounts to join, you can share games with that many people.

There are certain limitations, like the game lent to a family member will be on their console for up to two weeks, after which the game will automatically return to your account. Moreover, only one game can be shared with one person at a time. Despite the limitations, this is a huge step from Nintendo to introduce flexibility into their system without compromising their strict anti-piracy policies.

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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan