Nintendo just closed a Switch game-sharing loophole in new update — what you need to know

News
By published

The feature works a bit differently now

Nintendo Switch OLED playing Metroid Dread
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Nintendo recently launched a significant update for the Switch, introducing Virtual Game Cards as a way to share digital games with others. However, to counter this, Nintendo closed a loophole that allowed players to enjoy shared games online while someone else was also playing the game.

Eurogamer first spotted the change, and it's a significant one for people who liked "loaning" games to friends while still playing them themselves.

Virtual Game Cards: What's changed

Virtual Game Card – Nintendo Direct 3.27.2025 - YouTube Virtual Game Card – Nintendo Direct 3.27.2025 - YouTube
Watch On

Now, you can still share games in the same way, but you can't play the game online on both consoles anymore. So while it's nice that Nintendo isn't forcing players to use Virtual Game Cards if they prefer the old sharing method, it's disappointing that online play across two consoles won't work anymore.

To be fair, it probably shouldn't have worked this way all along. You can't run physical games on two consoles at the same time, either, so it only makes sense for it to work in the same way with digital copies.

After all, Nintendo's goal is to sell both you and your friend a copy of the game, not offer freebies.

If you decide to enjoy Virtual Game Cards, you can use Nintendo's handy website to manage who can play your virtual games, a nice feature.

For anyone looking to get their hands on a console, be sure to follow our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order live blog, as we'll monitor restocks as they happen to help increase your chances of finding one.

More from Tom's Guide

Dave LeClair
Dave LeClair
Senior News Editor

Dave LeClair is the Senior News Editor for Tom's Guide, keeping his finger on the pulse of all things technology. He loves taking the complicated happenings in the tech world and explaining why they matter. Whether Apple is announcing the next big thing in the mobile space or a small startup advancing generative AI, Dave will apply his experience to help you figure out what's happening and why it's relevant to your life.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.