Nintendo Switch 2 Proper Physical Games
Image: Nintendo Life

For Switch 2, Nintendo introduced Game-Key Cards, a 'physical' cartridge that doesn't actually contain any game data. Instead, Game-Key Cards act — as the name suggests — purely as a key to download the game from the eShop, and then to access and play the game on the system.

Many gamers who prize physical over digital aren't happy about this compromise, which still requires you to have the storage space to download the game, and are therefore looking out for Switch 2 games which contain all the data on the game cards - 'real' physical Switch 2 games, if you like.

That's exactly what we've compiled with this list of Switch 2 games that come on the cartridge 100%.

Confirmed 'Real' Nintendo Switch 2 Physical Games

We'll keep this list updated with officially confirmed NS2 physical 'standard' releases only, meaning we won't be relying on retailer listings alone.

If you spy an official confirmation we've missed, feel free to tag us in the comments and we'll get it verified and updated ASAP.

If you're curious about a particular title, our Switch 2 game pages list the type of physical release (if known).

'Proper' Switch 2 Physical Games FAQ

Why are there so few 'true' Switch 2 physical releases?

It is rumoured that Nintendo is offering only limited game card size offerings, at least early in the Switch 2's cycle.

Cyberpunk 2077 comes on a 64GB cartridge - the maximum available at the time of writing. Production costs of these large-capacity cartridges eat into companies' profits, so many publishers are opting to release Game-Key Cards instead of a full physical release.

Another significant factor that has come to light since the console launch involves the transfer speed of Switch 2 cartridges.

Developers of both Star Wars Outlaws and Final Fantasy VII Remake have said that the speeds of Nintendo's cards aren't sufficient to stream data at an acceptable speed - at least not for their games, which were originally built for higher-spec platforms with different performance and SSD.

Having the game installed on internal memory, with its improved data streaming speeds, hits the performance targets these devs are aiming for, and is apparently a factor in choosing a Game-Key Card over the 'proper' physical alternative.

Will you still need to download patches for these games?

It's important to bear in mind that post-release patches may (likely) be released for all of the games above, meaning you may have to download additional data into the system's storage.

Any new DLC that isn't specifically included on the cart will also require internal storage, just as they do on past physical releases.

So, there you go: every Switch 2 game where the data comes on the cartridge. Let us know below if you see official confirmation of a full-on physical Switch 2 card release and we'll add it to the list.

We'll be keeping this guide updated, and you can check for confirmed 'standard' physical releases via our individual Switch 2 game pages, too.