Nintendo’s Virtual Game Cardservice has some restrictions on its lending system that are unfortunate and unnecessary. Revealed during the most recent Nintendo Direct, the new Virtual Game Card service being added to both Nintendo Switch andNintendo Switch 2seems like a perfect addition to the consoles. The ability to share purchased digital games across multiple consoles across a wireless connection makes accessing said digital games far easier and more convenient, removing previous obstacles to moving titles across systems.
The lending system serves as an extension to this idea of greater accessibility.With a Nintendo Switch OnlineFamily Membership,players can lend their digital games to other members, removing the need to share a console or to purchase multiple copies, making these titles more accessible than ever before. However, despite its initial convenience,there are a few major issues with the lending systemthat stops the Virtual Game Card service from being as good as it can be.
Lending Virtual Game Cards Comes With A Catch
Players Can Only Lend Games For A Certain Time
As revealed byNintendoon YouTube, there are two major restrictions when it comes to lending Virtual Game Cards to other players on the same NSO membership. For starters,players can only be lent one game at a time on their Switch or Switch 2 console from another member, limiting what they can play at any given time. This removes the freedom that players could have to switch between a range of titles, limiting the accessibility that the system allows for.
Moreover, the amount of time that players can access a game lent to them is restricted to 14 days. This means that after the 2-week period,a player will have to be lent the game again by the original owner from their Switch. This restriction once again limits the benefits that Virtual Game Cards could provide as it requires constant back and forth between members in order for them to continue playing. It also limits theflexibility that the service could provide, forcing players to complete a game within a certain period of time.
The Restrictions Made To The Lending System Are Unnecessary
It Defeats The Purpose Of The Service To Begin With
It’s hard not to feel that the restrictions being placed on lending Virtual Game Cards to other Switch or Switch 2 owners are somewhat unnecessary. The purpose of the Virtual Game Card service is to make digital games more accessible, by giving players more freedom in how they handle their library while also being able to share their titles with others.This user-friendly mindset gives the Virtual Game Card service the potential to broaden the outreach of Nintendo games further, something that would be a huge benefit with theupcoming release of the Switch 2.
It should be noted that while a player can only lend one game over to someone in the same family membership, they can still lend to multiple members at the same time.
Yet, the restrictions placed on the lending system feel contradictory to this purpose. The limitations placed on both the number of games that can be shared, and the time members can enjoy titles lent to them, make the system far more inconvenient, as players must become more cautious about their choices.The lack of convenience removes that incentive for players to make use of the lending system, devaluing what should have been one of the best parts of the Virtual Game Card service.
All Games Revealed At The Nintendo Direct (March 2025)
Several new games for Nintendo Switch have been revealed during the Nintendo Direct event held by the company in March, including anticipated titles.
There’s no doubt that the introduction of Virtual Game Cards will be of great benefit to both Switch and Switch 2 users. However, it’s hard to deny how some restrictions made to lending Virtual Game Cards feel like an unnecessary inclusion that reduces the accessibility that the service is supposed to provide. The inconveniences that the system causes prevent theVirtual Game Cardservice from being as fantastic as it could have been, while also preventing the upcomingSwitch 2from having a larger overall appeal.
