- Nintendo Switch 2 trailer screenshot courtesy of Nintendo

No Physical Copies? Nintendo’s Latest Game Key Survey Raises Eyebrows

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Michelle Kitz | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 11:52 AM ET

It’s safe to say the Nintendo Switch 2 was highly anticipated, but Nintendo fans may be disappointed with a recent survey sent to players in Japan. If you’re one of the many gamers who prefer a physical game copy over a game key or download, you’ll want to read this.

It’s a Game Key

Nintendo introduced a new system with the Switch 2. For games released as game key cards, you receive something that resembles a physical game, which has the actual game stored on it, but it only stores the key. When you insert the card, you can download the game to your console’s internal storage, and to play the game, the card must be inserted. It’s not the same as having a key that you type in to claim or register a game, though.

A key card can be transferred. So, it’s superior to the traditional game key, which can only be used once. This means you do have the ability to share the game with friends, though you can’t play it at the same time, since the card is needed. And, you could resell the game. That’s great news!

The Survey

Image of Game-Key cartridge courtesy of Nintendo Life and Nintendo

The key cards may be better than game keys, but many gamers still prefer a game that is stored on the game card. After all, there’s more set-up time since you have to download the game. And, if the server that the game download lives on were shut down, you could lose access to downloading the game in the future. Then, there’s the issue of the game download taking up precious space on your console’s storage.

Nintendo recently surveyed players in Japan, which included questions about their preference for the key card or just the key. There was a glaring omission, though, no option to choose physical games as a preference.

Survey Questions:

“Did you know that Nintendo Switch 2 packaged software includes a game card called a ‘Game Key Card”?

Do you know anything about the characteristics of the Game Key Cards? Please select all that you know.

After reading the above explanation, if you wanted to buy a piece of software and there was a Game Key Card or a download version available, which would you choose? Please choose the answer that applies.

What Does it All Mean?

Well, Nintendo wants to know how players feel about the new system, but it certainly looks like Nintendo is ignoring players’ preference for physical games. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any physical game releases. After all, there are currently games like Cyberpunk 2077, which is releasing the full game on a game card. But, it does sound like they’re leaning in the direction of this new system.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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