Nintendo Switch getting a big game sharing update ahead of the Switch 2 launch

Nintendo will soon announce a whole load of currently unknown details about its next-gen console next week, with a dedicated Switch 2 online presentation on 2 April, However, a surprise pre-emptive Nintendo Direct was streamed today, which showed games for existing Switch models, plus a new feature that's coming soon.

Digital game sharing has been tricky on the Switch over the years, with titles bought online only working on consoles owned by the Nintendo account holder. However, an update coming in late April will change that.

Virtual Game Cards will make swapping games between consoles as simple as using physical cards, you can just "eject" it from one Switch and "load" it in another – virtually.

The game will need to install, of course, but it'll work without restrictions. And where the new system comes into its own is that you'll be able to lend Virtual Game Cards with family members, as long as they are registered with the same account and on the same wireless network.

This was previously prohibited.

A game can be borrowed for up to two weeks before expiring, or needing to be renewed. It will then revert to the original owner.

Interestingly, if you swap a Virtual Game Card from one console to another, it will be removed from the library of the other console until it is ejected again. Whether that means you'll need to download games each time is not yet clear.

We can see this new feature becoming even more useful once the Nintendo Switch 2 arrives – and it's likely that was very much part of the thinking behind it. We expect you'll be able to share your digital Switch games with a new Switch 2, for example,

We guess we'll find out more next month, and likely during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation.