Nintendo Switch 2 requires a day one update to unlock major parts of the console's capabilities, including the ability to play Nintendo Switch 1 games.

Virtual game cards have been designed to make life easier for early adopters as we move into the Switch 2 era.

The most common way to download games on Switch 2 is through the Virtual Card menu, which is the third button from the right on the bottom menu of the Switch 2's main menu. To download games on the Switch 2, players must open the Virtual Card menu, select the game that they'd like to play, click Options, and then Download Data.

Plenty of new features are coming with Switch 2, but Nintendo's Virtual Game Cards will be key to the system's success.

GameShare is Nintendo’s term for the process by which you share games locally, either between two Switch 2 systems or with a Switch 2 as the host console streaming to an original Switch. “Sharing games” isn’t a particularly apt description, though, as it’s tied to multiplayer play only.

If you’ve upgraded to the Nintendo Switch 2, you’ll probably want to bring over your game saves, user profiles, and digital purchases from your original Switch. Thankfully, Nintendo has made it really straightforward to transfer data between consoles,

Ahead of the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo went ahead and shook up how they present games that are purchased online through the Nintendo eShop. Virtual Game Cards are here to stay, and they bring with them a new set of features,