What happens if you own a physical and digital Switch game?

The short answer is, nothing bad happens if you insert a cartridge for a game you already own digitally. And nothing bad will happen if you own the game physically, but buy digitally later on. If you have both physical & digital, the switch will play the game from the cart when the cart is inserted.

Do physical and digital Nintendo Switch games share the same save file?

Do physical and digital Nintendo Switch games share the same save file? Best answer: Yep. If you own the physical or digital copy of a Nintendo Switch game, the game save data for the Switch is in the system's memory.

Are physical Switch games tied to your account?

Yes, Switch games are not tied down to a console, so you can share (lend) a physical game to your friend. Is there a limit to how many games you can have on a Nintendo Switch?

Do you need to download Switch games if you have the cartridge?

Unless there's an update you need to download, just pop the cartridge in and you can play right now, without having to wait for a game to download. You don't need to install games other than their save and update data, so you don't take up precious space on your system.

Do I own my digital Switch games?

Downloadable software that you purchase is tied to your Nintendo Account and can be played on your primary Nintendo Switch console and, under certain conditions, other Nintendo Switch consoles where you link your Nintendo Account.

What happens if you own both physical and digital? | Nintendo Switch

Do Switch games run better digital or physical?

Much of it comes down to personal preference. If you like having shelves lined with your games that you can browse and reminisce, you'll want to go for physical. If you prefer the convenience and speed offered through digital purchases, and don't want game boxes lying around, then you'll want to go digital.

Is it better to buy physical or digital games?

They both have advantages and disadvantages. You won't lose digital games like you could cartridges, but physical games tend to get better deals and can be shared with friends and family or sold for other games when you're done with them.

Can I get a digital copy of a game I already own Switch?

With the Nintendo Switch you can purchase and download a digital copy of a physical game you own. The physical game does not give you rights to a free digital copy, and never will with Nintendo. For most Switch games a digital copy will be able to use the game save data created by your physical copy.

Can you transfer physical Switch games to SD card?

Transferring game data

On the HOME Menu, select "System Settings" → "Data Management" → "Move Data Between System/microSD Card". *If no microSD card is inserted, this option won't be selectable. To transfer data from the system memory to the microSD card, select "Move to microSD Card".

Can you transfer a Switch game from cartridge?

Nope, you cannot download a game off of a cartridge onto the system memory. The thing is, with physical cartridges, the game and license are stored on the cartridge itself, while with digital purchases the license is tied to your user account and stored locally on your console.

Can I have 2 switches on one account?

You can link your Nintendo Account to multiple Nintendo Switch consoles and play your games on any of them using your Nintendo Account. Only one of the consoles can act as the primary console. On the primary console, any other users can play the games you downloaded with your Nintendo Account.

What happens if you lose a physical copy of a Switch game?

We recommend purchasing a replacement copy of the game at a retailer. If the game is published by a licensee company, you will need to contact that company for repair/replacement options.

Can 2 switches play the same game?

On a second system, log into the account with the game in question. This will make the second console the account's primary system. You can then log out of that account on the second Switch, and create a new profile. You can now play the same game on both systems at the same time.

What happens if you put a Switch game in another Switch?

You can play digital games that you've purchased with your Nintendo Account on any Nintendo Switch console. Once you've registered a primary console, your digital purchases can also be played by anyone that uses the primary console. Other players will not be able to access your digital games on a non-primary console.

Can you borrow Switch games?

Looking to play games solo or with friends at home or on-the go? The Library now offers Nintendo Switch Consoles and Games to borrow!

Can I take an SD card from one Switch and put it in another?

You can also use a given microSD card in one Switch: If you plug your microSD card into another Switch, that Switch will format the microSD card, deleting all the data on it. The only files you can pass between microSD cards are screenshots and videos.

Does using microSD card with Switch mean I can store games on it?

Thankfully, Nintendo makes it easy to expand your Switch storage with a microSD card. After inserting a compatible microSD card into your console, all future games downloaded and their accompanying data will be stored on it, except for save files.

Will formatting an SD card delete game data Switch?

When you format a microSD card, all data stored on the card will be erased. Before you begin, you must move any data you want to keep, such as photos or videos, to the console's system memory or a PC. Save data is not stored on the microSD card, so will not be affected.

Can you resell Digital Switch games?

eShop games can't be resold nor can the buyer verify it works since they would also have to enter the code. So forget trying to sell it. This is why I tell me make sure it's a game you want to keep when Digital only.

Why are physical Switch games more expensive than digital?

In the interest of fairness, it's important to acknowledge that digital games have associated costs that physical games do not. The most obvious one is that digital games need infrastructure to maintain them. The game has to be stored in a data center and served to users all over the world using top-tier bandwidth.

Can you lose access to digital games?

By buying a digital game, you are simply buying a license to play it - and the platform holder has the right to revoke that license at any time.

How big of an SD card should I get for Switch?

If you're planning on downloading many games, you probably want a high-capacity card like a 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB microSD card. You'll be able to store more than enough games and they'll load faster since they're higher performance cards. For moderate use, a 32GB or 64GB microSD card will work.

Why are Switch physical games cheaper?

Mostly just supply and demand. They start out at the same price. Then over time, the demand for the game drops lower than the supply of the retail copies, so they need to lower prices in order to sell their pre-existing stock. Digital games have an infinite supply so aren't subject to the price system in the same way.

Do digital games sell more than physical?

The ERA estimates 89.5% of games sold in 2022 were digital downloads. Only 10.5% of copies sold were physical discs or cartridges.

Do physical games download faster than digital?

It installs faster because you no longer have to download the main game files, since they're already on physical media. When you buy a game digitally the main game files are downloaded and then installed; with a physical disc you already have the main game files on the disc so you only need to install them.