Nintendo Switch Gets Big Update That Makes Game Sharing Worse

The Nintendo Switch just got a major update to prepare for the arrival of Switch 2 in June. Ver. 20.0.0, released overnight, adds system transfers to Switch 2 as well as support for the new console’s GameShare feature and the sharing of virtual game cards. Players have quickly discovered a major caveat for that last part: when using virtual game cards, you can’t simultaneously play a game online across two separate Switches. It’s a confusing hang-up with significant consequences.

Here’s the full list of changes in Switch firmware version 20.0.0 which went live on April 29. In addition to adding virtual game cards, GameShare for Switch 2, and Switch 2 system transfers, the update also allows for save data from multiple games to be transferred simultaneously. Additionally various Nintendo character icons have been tweaked, with Donkey Kong getting revised to reflect his goofier, friendlier new Donkey Kong Bananza design.

GameShare was revealed during the Switch 2 Direct earlier this month and allows certain games to be played simultaneously with other nearby users on separate consoles, including older Switch models, though it has to be initiated by someone with a Switch 2. The Switch 2 transfer feature also includes a nice bonus in that current users can temporarily store their data in the cloud in the event that they’re trading in their console and won’t have both available at the same time to do the transfer directly.

Virtual game cards, meanwhile, were outlined in a regular Nintendo Direct near the end of March, and essentially overhaul how games are shared within family account groups. Instead of being able to access one owner’s games across multiple devices their profile is installed on, the digital games have virtual cards that will transfer between consoles, limiting who can play at any given time.

While more straightforward and flexible than the current system in theory, Switch owners have already discovered an important shortfall. Notably, two users on two different Switches in the same household can no longer play games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online together. Previously, whoever owned the game digitally could register their profile on a second Switch and access it there while a user on the first Switch was playing as well. That no longer appears to be the case, with at least one user needing to be offline in order to play a game at the same time as the other.

There is a way for users to revert back to the old sharing system instead of using virtual game cards. A new option under user settings allows players to turn online license settings back on and essentially bypass the virtual card system. But the loophole for playing an online game together now appears to have been closed even when doing that. “Now my wife and I have to buy our own licenses of each other’s games when we didn’t have to do that before, or on other consoles like PlayStation, so stupid,” wrote one frustrated user on the Switch subreddit.

“We think many people will enjoy the benefits of virtual game card, but it is an optional feature, and the original method can be used instead,” a Nintendo spokesperson previously told the parent-focused gaming newsletter Crossplay. At the moment it sounds like that’s not entirely accurate. While potentially a fringe scenario for most users, it could be an even more frustrating headache on Switch 2 where two copies of Mario Kart World will cost $160.

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