Switch 2 game cards have a bitter coating intended to make someone spit one out if it gets into their mouth. Nintendo Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta confirmed the deterrent in an interview with GameSpot on April 7, 2025. He advised against licking them.
Why do Switch 2 cartridges taste so bad?
The bitterness is deliberate, not a manufacturing defect. Dohta explained that Nintendo designed the card so a person who puts it in their mouth will spit it out: “We don’t want anybody to be at risk of any unwanted consumption. We have indeed made it so that if it enters your mouth, you’ll spit it out.”
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That deterrent matters because game cards are small objects that could be accidentally swallowed, particularly by young children. The intended response to the unpleasant taste is to spit the card out—not to test or tolerate it.
What chemical is on Switch 2 game cards?
The exact chemical on Switch 2 cards has not been identified in the cited reporting. GameSpot noted that it was unclear whether Nintendo used the same substance as on the original Switch cards, so it would be inaccurate to state that Switch 2 cards contain a particular named bittering agent.
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- The following games are included in the cartridge: STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (3.6 GB)
- STAR WARS Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (1.1 GB)
- STAR WARS Episode I Racer (254 MB)
- STAR WARS Republic Commando (2.5 GB)
- STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed (3.4 GB)
What Nintendo says about original Switch cards
Nintendo’s support page identifies the bittering agent on original Nintendo Switch game cards as denatonium benzoate. The page addresses a specific situation: someone licks a hand after touching a card, and asks whether that contact is harmful to health. Nintendo says it is not harmful in that described scenario. That statement is not a general assurance about swallowing a card or about Switch 2 cards.
Nintendo’s 2017 statement, reproduced by Nintendo Life, likewise said the original cards had denatonium benzoate applied to help prevent accidental ingestion and described the bittering agent as non-toxic.
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Should you lick a Switch 2 cartridge?
No. Dohta’s direct advice was: “I do not advise that you do.” The taste is there to discourage putting the card in your mouth, and there is no reason to sample it. Keep game cards away from young children, and if a card is accidentally put in someone’s mouth, remove it rather than treating the bitter coating as a substitute for supervision or safety precautions.
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