Switch 2 Games to Avoid for Physical Collectors

The Switch 2 has an impressive library of launch games, but there's one caveat to be aware of if you're a physical media collector: not all Switch 2 games share the same format in their physical versions. While some titles will have the full game files on the Switch 2 cartridge, other physical copies are either a "Game Key Card" that grants digital rights (DRM) to the title, or worse, a download code in a box. There are some physical Switch 2 games that physical collectors will want to avoid, not because of the games themselves, but because of how their publishers have gone about distributing these titles for Nintendo's new console. As a reminder, Switch 2 games come in the following physical formats:

• Game on Cartridge
• Game Key Card
• Download Code in a Box

Note that our highlighting of certain Switch 2 games as titles to avoid has nothing to do with these titles' quality. Instead, these are games that a physical collector would be better suited picking up somewhere else.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Cattle Call, Square Enix
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Format — Game Key Card

The remaster of 3DS classic Bravely Default is one of the Switch 2's few games that is exclusive to the console at launch, and it somehow does not include the full game files on the cartridge. Instead, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a Game Key Card that still requires players to download the 11GB game and have the cartridge inserted to be able to play the title on their Switch 2. Unfortunately, it seems that Square Enix will be moving forward with this format for a lot of their titles on the Switch 2, as Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake's physical edition is also confirmed to be a Game Key Card.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Firaxis Games
• Publisher — 2K
• Format — Code In a Box (No Cartridge)

Firaxis' Civilization VII is one of two Switch 2 launch titles whose physical versions are just a box with a download code inside. Considering how unique the Switch 2's media format is (as one of the only remaining consoles to still use physical cartridges), it's baffling that a company would opt to sell collectors an empty box rather than make good on the promise of a physical keepsake. Even a Game Key Card would've been better than an empty box. It also doesn't help that the Switch 2 version of Civilization VII takes up a good bit of storage space, so you'd be better off picking up a MicroSD Express and waiting for a sale on the digital version rather than grabbing a physical copy.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — IO Interactive
• Publisher — IO Interactive
• Format — Game Key Card

The Switch 2 version of Hitman: World of Assassination may easily collect all three games in IO Interactive's Hitman trilogy into one convenient package, but it's still just a Game Key Card. At least in the case of Hitman, a Game Key Card makes more sense than, say, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, as the files for the game are large enough to warrant at least a portion of them being left off the Switch 2 cartridge. Still, for a third-party game that runs fairly well on the Switch 2 and allows players to take some of the best stealth gameplay on the go, it would've been nice to have the whole game on the cartridge.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Avalanche Software
• Publisher — Portkey Games
• Format — Game Key Card

The original Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy only contained a portion of the game on the actual cartridge, requiring players to download the rest to their internal storage or a MicroSD, so it makes sense that Hogwarts Legacy's Switch 2 version opts for the Game Key Card format. That said, CD Projekt RED was able to take the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 and its Phantom Liberty DLC and fit it onto a single Switch 2 cartridge, and that requires more storage than Hogwarts Legacy. Avalanche Software potentially could have done the same with a little more time.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Sega
• Publisher — Sega
• Format — Game Key Card

Similar to Square Enix, Sega is another third-party software partner who seems to be releasing all of its Switch 2 titles' physical versions as Game Key Cards. While the Game Key Card is, in theory, better than a download code in a box, it still feels like an unnecessary middleman between players just downloading titles digitally from the eShop. For those of us who like to collect physical versions of games, we're still at the behest of needing to buy extra internal storage, which kind of defeats the purpose of picking up many of the Switch 2 launch games' physical releases. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is a great puzzle game that only takes up 4GB of storage space, meaning it could've easily fit entirely on a physical Switch 2 cartridge.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Sonic Team
• Publisher — Sega
• Format — Game Key Card

In the absence of a traditional Mario game as a launch title for the Switch 2, Sonic X Shadow Generations is arguably the best traditional platformer in the console's debut software lineup, and it would have been nice to see the title's physical version arrive with the full game on the cartridge. Instead, Sonic X Shadow Generations is yet another of Sega's games on the Switch 2 that utilizes the Game Key Card format, meaning part of the files are on the cartridge and the rest have to be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop. Further, you'll need the card inserted into your Switch 2 console to be able to access and play the game.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Hazelight Studios
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Format — Code In a Box (No Cartridge)

It's a shame that the physical version of Split Fiction is just a download code in an empty box instead of an actual cartridge, but at least it makes more sense than Civilization VII's decision to opt for that format. In the case of Split Fiction, the game's co-op requirement and free friend pass option make it an ideal game to pick up digitally and share with a friend for you both to play it together, which kind of negates the whole purpose or necessity of having the game on a piece of physical media. Split Fiction is definitely worth picking up as an essential co-op title for the Switch 2, just grab the digital version and avoid the physical release.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Format — Game Key Card

Unlike fellow third-party studios Square Enix and Sega, Capcom is taking a mixed approach to how it releases games on the Switch 2. Some titles, like Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, only have a digital release, while others will have physical versions with the full game on the cartridge and some will be Game Key Cards. Unfortunately for Capcom's Street Fighter 6, it's opting for the latter for its physical release, meaning players will still need to download a heft amount of data on their Switch 2 consoles, especially if picking up the Fighters Edition of the game that includes all Season 1 and 2 content.

• Release Date — June 5, 2025
• Developer — RGG Studio
• Publisher — Sega
• Format — Game Key Card

The third of Sega's three launch games for the Switch 2 is one of the better titles to grab for the new console that never made its way to the original Switch, so it's disappointing to see that Yakuza 0: Director's Cut's physical release uses a Game Key Card instead of including the full game on the cartridge. That said, the Director's Cut version of the game is reportedly about twice as large as the original game file for Yakuza 0, coming in at roughly 54GB. But again, that Cyberpunk 2077 and its DLC fit entirely on a physical Switch 2 cartridge means that Sega could have done the same with Yakuza 0.