Nintendo Bans Some Switch 2 Users for Playing Old Games
Video games have always been an expensive hobby, so it’s no surprise that players are turning to secondary markets to find bargains. Why pay $60, $70, or even $80 for a game when you can get the same experience at a discount? As it turns out, there’s now a reason: to avoid getting your Switch 2 locked out.
Nintendo’s newest console is only a month old, and players are already getting banned due to the company’s aggressive new piracy policy. So aggressive that even playing a legally purchased used game can get you banned. That’s what happened to this Reddit user , who was banned after downloading patches for four used Switch games purchased from Facebook Marketplace.
By the way, it is not official Nintendo policy to ban players for downloading a used game. In most cases, if you buy a used Switch game from GameStop, put it in the console, and play it, you will get the same experience as buying a new game.
But if you’re particularly unlucky, that used game could be the reason Nintendo bricks your Switch 2.
Nintendo’s War on Piracy
This issue has to do with how Nintendo implements its anti-piracy strategy. Nintendo can detect if a purchased game is running on more than one system, and if so, it will take action. The company has made it clear that it can disable consoles if it detects a player is using pirated software . While buying a used cartridge is by no means piracy, some users copy game files from an original cartridge and load them onto something like a MIG flash cartridge. Most do this to back up their games and for convenience, so they can play many of them without having to carry around all the cartridges. But if you buy a used game from someone who has already copied it to a MIG cartridge, and Nintendo now sees two versions of the same game running on two different consoles, you will both be banned.
This applies to all games you play on the Switch 2, not just Switch 2 exclusives. Since the console is so new, the vast majority of used games are first-generation Nintendo Switches, and any active version available elsewhere could cause problems. YouTuber Snazzy Labs reported that he encountered the problem after buying a used game on eBay, as Nintendo had disabled his Switch 2’s online play capabilities. (Another user, X, notes that Snazzy Labs has discussed using MIG cartridges with Switch consoles in the past, though Snazzy Labs denies ever using them in his Switch 2.)
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If you have been banned, please contact Nintendo
There’s probably a happy ending to this story: Users who’ve faced online bans and locked consoles have found success by talking to Nintendo support. If you can prove you have access to a legitimate version of the game, Nintendo can unblock your console and account. (I recommend keeping receipts for all used game purchases.)
I understand why a company like Nintendo wants to fight piracy. It loses money on every game that users buy illegally. But in my opinion, it has gone too far in its anti-piracy efforts: randomly blocking accounts and banning consoles is too dystopian, and I’m not sure it’s a sensible practice. Brazil’s consumer protection agency even filed a lawsuit against the practice . There needs to be a compromise that allows Nintendo to fight illegal gaming without punishing players for saving a little on games by spending $450 on a new console.