Open Virtual Game Cards from the HOME Menu, select the user linked to the Nintendo Account that bought the game, choose a title, then select Load on This System. A loaded card lets that console play the game offline, and other users on the same console can play it too. Nintendo supports loading cards across up to two linked consoles per account.
What Virtual Game Cards do
Nintendo treats digital games and DLC bought through Nintendo eShop as Virtual Game Cards. You can load or eject them between up to two linked Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch consoles, in any combination. Think of loading as assigning the card to one console: to play it on the other linked console, you must move it there.
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The game must be downloaded to the console to play. If it is not installed, Nintendo says it will download automatically while the console is powered on or asleep and connected to the internet, provided there is enough available storage. Once loaded, the card can be played without an internet connection, although a particular game may still require internet or a Nintendo Switch Online membership check for some features.
How to load a Virtual Game Card
- Update an older Nintendo Switch if needed. If the Virtual Game Cards icon is missing, update the system and check again. Nintendo notes that the menu may not appear on an out-of-date system; its guide does not specify a minimum software version.
- Open Virtual Game Cards from the HOME Menu. Choose the user associated with the Nintendo Account that purchased the game. If prompted, verify the account using its password or the user-verification PIN.
- Select the game and choose Load on This System.
- Wait for installation if necessary. If the game is not already downloaded, its icon appears on HOME and downloading begins when the console is online and powered on or asleep.
Nintendo’s Virtual Game Card Guide explains that a loaded game or DLC can be played offline and by other users on that console.
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How to set up and move a card to a second console
Before using a second console, link it with the console already able to load cards. Keep both consoles close together and connected to the internet, then follow the on-screen linking instructions. Nintendo says this linking step is needed once, unless you later change which two consoles are associated with the account.
- On the linked console, open Virtual Game Cards and select the purchasing account’s user.
- Choose the title, then select Load on This System if it is not already loaded there. To move a card that is loaded on the other console, choose Load on Other System.
- Keep the destination console powered on or asleep and connected to the internet while the card is moved. The other console must be online for the transfer.
You can also manage loading and ejecting from the Nintendo Account portal if you cannot use a console, but the target console still needs to be online and powered on or asleep. If the game is open on the other system, close it there and try again.
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Using more than two consoles: Virtual Game Cards or Online License?
Virtual Game Cards can be associated with only two consoles at a time for one Nintendo Account. If you add a third console or replace one, change which consoles are associated. For downloaded games on additional consoles, Nintendo offers a separate Online License setting.
| Option | Where it works | Internet requirement | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loaded Virtual Game Card | One of the account’s two linked consoles, with the card loaded on that system | Internet is needed to move the card; after loading, the game can be played offline unless the game itself requires a connection or membership check | Offline play or play by other users on the loaded console |
| Online License | Additional consoles where the account’s purchased software is downloaded | The console must be online when starting software that is not loaded as a Virtual Game Card | Starting downloaded purchases on more than two consoles when an internet connection is available |
Nintendo says Online License can be enabled in User Settings or Virtual Game Card settings and applies to the Nintendo Account across its consoles. The account holder cannot use the account to access games on multiple consoles simultaneously. See Nintendo’s Online License support page for the setting details.
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Sharing on your console versus lending to family
Letting another user play on the loaded console
When a Virtual Game Card is loaded on one of the account’s eligible consoles, any user on that console can play the game or DLC. This is local-console access; it does not require lending the card to another person.
Lending a card to a family-group member
Lending lets an eligible family-group member use a card on their own console. It is a separate, time-limited transfer with these limits:
- The lender’s and borrower’s consoles must be close together and online when lending or borrowing.
- The borrower must be in the lender’s Nintendo Account family group.
- Up to three cards can be lent at once; each borrower can have only one borrowed card at a time, and a particular console can receive only one loan at a time.
- A console with users from multiple family groups cannot receive a loan.
- Purchased DLC travels with the lent game, but some games are not eligible for lending.
- A loan lasts 14 days and returns automatically. The borrower can return it early, and the lender can retrieve it early. The lender cannot play a card while it is lent.
For Nintendo’s current eligibility and lending steps, see the Virtual Game Card Guide.
Quick Recap
Fix common Virtual Game Card problems
- The menu is missing on Nintendo Switch: update the system software, then check the HOME Menu again.
- You cannot link another console: an account can have only two consoles able to load cards at once. Change the linked pair, or use Online License for downloaded games on additional consoles.
- The card will not move: make sure the destination console is online and powered on or asleep. Close the game on the other console before retrying.
- The game will not start offline: confirm that its Virtual Game Card is loaded on this console. Online License play requires internet to start software not loaded as a card; the game may also have its own connection or membership requirements.
- The download cannot complete: free up console storage. Extra storage is optional, not a requirement for loading a card; if considering an expansion, check compatibility for your console model. Nintendo Switch 2 requires compatible microSD Express cards.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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