Digital Rights & Surveillance 
What's Really on the Cartridge: My Switch Collection, Game-Key-Card-Free
The Nintendo side of the same question I asked about discs. See What’s Really on the Disc for the PlayStation half.
On PlayStation the question is “what’s really on the disc.” On Switch it is “what’s really on the cartridge,” and the answer is getting worse, not better.
There are two problems to watch for on Nintendo hardware:
- Game-Key Cards: a Switch 2 format that looks like a normal cartridge but holds no game data. Put it in and it forces a full mandatory download plus a server check. It is the cartridge version of a disc that will not install without a patch.
- Incomplete cartridges: older carts that ship with only part of the game on them, so the rest is a mandatory download. Same result, different decade.
My hard rule
I own zero Game-Key Cards, and I never will. No exceptions. If the game is not actually on the card, it is not a physical game, it is a box with a download token inside. Every Switch 2 title below is a full game card with the game on the cartridge. The released ones I have confirmed in hand. Five are pre-ordered and not out yet, and in each case the publisher has confirmed the game ships on the card.
That rule is the whole reason I check before I buy. A cartridge is only worth collecting if the game is really on it.
The numbers
I track 78 cartridge games (65 Switch, 13 Switch 2). After researching every one:
- 0 of 78 are Game-Key Cards, and 0 require a Nintendo Account login to play single-player.
- 70 of 78 play the full single-player game completely offline from the cartridge.
- 2 carts fail outright: BioShock: The Collection and Spyro Reignited Trilogy ship with only a fraction of the game on the cart and force a mandatory download for the rest. These are the cartridge version of the Star Wars Outlaws problem.
- 3 more are partial: the Resident Evil collections (Origins, Revelations, Triple Pack) put only some of the bundled games on the cart and hand you download codes for the others. I keep them as collectibles because I already own the full games on PlayStation.
- 3 are still unverified (Immortals Fenyx Rising, Poppy Playtime, TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection). Ports and compilations are the usual download risk, so I confirm those in hand.
- 5 are pre-ordered and not in hand yet: the two Fangamer Hollow Knight cartridges, Metroid Ravenous, the Ocarina of Time remake and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Definitive Edition. I will confirm each one the day it arrives.
- 12 titles I buy twice. Every Zelda game on this list gets two copies, one to play and one that stays sealed. That covers the mainline games and the Hyrule Warriors titles, on both consoles, so 12 titles and 24 cartridges.
That is the point again. A cartridge is not automatically a safe copy. The Switch 2 Game-Key Card takes the disc-DRM problem and shrinks it into something that looks exactly like a real cartridge on the shelf. The only defense is to check, title by title, and refuse the ones that are hollow.
The full list
Legend: ✅ yes / supported, ❌ no / not required, ⚠️ partial or with caveats, ❓ unknown / needs verification.
Switch Games (65 titles)
| Game | Release | Offline | Download | Nintendo Acct | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bendy and the Ink Machine | Nov 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full campaign on card; unoptimized, patch helps performance |
| BioShock: The Collection | May 2020 | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Fails: cart holds only intro chapters; full download required for all 3 games |
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Jul 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | Mar 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; only trivial issues |
| Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy | Jun 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | All 3 games + DLC on card, fully offline |
| Cuphead | Apr 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; Delicious Last Course DLC included |
| Donkey Kong Country: Returns HD | Jan 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | May 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Five Nights at Freddy’s: Core Collection | Oct 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | All 5 games on cart, no DRM; minor bugs since patched |
| Hello Neighbor | Jul 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full campaign on card; rough performance but complete |
| Hello Neighbor: Hide & Seek | Dec 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Single-player, no online; confirm cart in hand |
| Hello Neighbor 2 | Apr 2023 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Single-player, no online; confirm cart in hand |
| Hollow Knight | Jun 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; all DLC included |
| Human: Fall Flat | Dec 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Offline solo; online co-op optional |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | Nov 2020 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition | May 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Immortals Fenyx Rising | Dec 2020 | ❓ | ❓ | ❌ | Ubisoft port; no test notes, confirm cart in hand |
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Mar 2022 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Little Nightmares Complete Edition | May 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Little Nightmares II | Feb 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Single-player; complete on cartridge |
| Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD | Jun 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Luigi’s Mansion 3 | Oct 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online co-op optional |
| Mario & Luigi: Brothership | Nov 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Nov 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online events optional |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Aug 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope | Oct 2022 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Apr 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Base 48 tracks on cart; Booster Course Pass optional DLC |
| Mario Party Superstars | Oct 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online optional |
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong | Feb 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Metroid Dread | Oct 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Metroid Prime Remastered | Feb 2023 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Minecraft | Jun 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Offline play supported; servers optional |
| Monopoly for Nintendo Switch | Oct 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Monster Hunter Rise | Mar 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Offline solo; online hunts optional |
| New Super Lucky’s Tale | Nov 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Jan 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Nintendo Switch Sports | Apr 2022 | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | Early rev-000 carts lack Golf (added via update); cosmetics need online |
| Pac-Man World Re-Pac | Aug 2022 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Single-player platformer; confirm exact cart in hand |
| Paper Mario: The Origami King | Jul 2020 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | May 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition | Mar 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Fully offline on Switch; all content on cart |
| Pokémon Shield | Nov 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Base game on cart; Expansion Pass DLC download-only |
| Pokémon Sword | Nov 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Base game on cart; Expansion Pass DLC download-only |
| Poppy Playtime | 2024 | ❓ | ❓ | ❌ | Episodic horror; download risk, confirm in hand |
| Princess Peach: Showtime! | Mar 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition | Sep 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Resident Evil Origins Collection | May 2019 | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ❌ | RE0 on cart, RE1 a download. Collectible; own the full games on PlayStation |
| Resident Evil Revelations Collection | Nov 2017 | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ❌ | Rev1 on cart, Rev2 a download code. Collectible; own the full games on PlayStation |
| Resident Evil: Triple Pack | Nov 2022 | ⚠️ | ✅ | ❌ | Only RE4 on cart; RE5 and RE6 are download codes. Collectible; own the full games on PlayStation |
| Spyro Reignited Trilogy | Sep 2019 | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Fails: only World 1 of each game on cart; download required for the rest |
| Super Mario 3D All-Stars | Sep 2020 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | All 3 games complete on cartridge |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury | Feb 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online co-op optional |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Oct 2023 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online optional |
| Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Oct 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Both games complete on the standard Switch cart (the Switch 2 Edition needs a download) |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Jun 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online sharing optional |
| Super Mario Odyssey | Oct 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Super Mario Party Jamboree | Oct 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; some modes online-only |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Dec 2018 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cart; online play optional |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection | Aug 2022 | ❓ | ❓ | ❌ | 13-game compilation; download risk, confirm in hand |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Mar 2017 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Sep 2024 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening | Sep 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD | Jul 2021 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | May 2023 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
| Yoshi’s Crafted World | Mar 2019 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Complete on cartridge |
Switch 2 Games (13 titles)
None of these are Game-Key Cards. Every one is a full game card with the game on the cartridge. Five of them are pre-orders that have not shipped yet.
| Game | Release | Offline | Download | Nintendo Acct | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition | Jun 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full game + Phantom Liberty on a 64 GB cart; patches optional |
| Donkey Kong Bananza | Jul 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | First-party full game card; playable offline |
| Hollow Knight (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition) | Oct 2026 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Pre-ordered, not out yet. Fangamer release; Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions both on the card, so it also plays on an original Switch. Includes a 28-page manual and a Hallownest foldout map |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition) | Oct 2026 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Pre-ordered, not out yet. Fangamer release; Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions both on the card, so it also plays on an original Switch. Includes a 32-page manual and a Pharloom foldout map. Base game is complete on the cart, Sea of Sorrow DLC is a free download |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Definitive Edition) | Feb 2027 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Pre-ordered, not out yet. Switch 2 remaster on a full game card, with all Expansion Pass DLC, 60fps, more enemies on screen and the new Calamity Mode. Save transfer from the Switch version supported |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | Nov 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | First-party full game card; playable offline |
| Mario Kart World | Jun 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full game card; single-player offline, online optional |
| Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | Nov 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | First-party full game card; playable offline |
| Metroid Ravenous | Jan 2027 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Pre-ordered, not out yet. New 2D Metroid built for Switch 2; first-party full game card, single-player and offline. Standard edition, and a Special Edition with a steel case and Samus Metroid Suit amiibo also exists |
| Star Fox | Jun 2026 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Switch 2 exclusive; full game card; campaign offline, online co-op optional |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 Edition) | Jun 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full game card; base game plays offline |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nov 2026 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Pre-ordered, not out yet. Ground-up Switch 2 remake of the N64 game, not a remaster: full voice acting, reworked controls and camera, new symphonic score. First-party full game card. First print run has textured foil cover art |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition) | Jun 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Full game card; base game plays offline |
If you collect physical on Switch, check the cartridge before you buy. A Game-Key Card is not a physical game, and a half-empty cart is not much better. doesitplay.org is the place to start.
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