Gaming News

Nintendo Switch 2 Cartridge Sizes Will Seemingly Remain In Place For Now

On Dec 21, 2025 6:32 am, by NuclearCoffee

If you were hoping that there would soon enough be an alternative to the Nintendo Switch 2’s increasingly controversial Game-Key Card situation, then think again. Because, at least for now, things are staying the way they are, with developers having to choose from the Game-Key Card or the 64GB standard cart.

Originally, R-Type Dimensions 3 publisher Inin Games may have potentially let the cat out of the bag prematurely, only to back away from its word for reasons still unknown.

Nintendo Switch 2 Cartridges Are Already Too Confusing For Their Own Good

Game key cards are going to cause a lot of headaches on Nintendo Switch 2.

In an update that has since been corrected, in which it was announced that R-Type Dimensions 3 would indeed be on a cartridge, Inin Games wrote on its website, “There is no better timing: Two days ago, Nintendo announced two new smaller cartridge sizes for Nintendo Switch 2. This allows us to recalculate production in a way that wasn’t possible before.”

Except, that wasn’t exactly the case, and the statement was retracted.

“There has been no official announcement or confirmation from Nintendo concerning cartridge storage capacities,” a statement read in part. “Any references to specific storage sizes should not be interpreted as official information from Nintendo.”

“At this time, we can only confirm that our upcoming release R-Type Dimensions III will be on a physical cartridge. No further technical details regarding cartridge specifications have been officially confirmed.”

Ultimately, it’s unclear why the retraction was made, and whether there really are two new cartridges on the way is still impossible to know. Obviously, it would be a major step forward if there was a bit more flexibility for developers, but until Nintendo says one way or the other, it’s best to assume nothing has changed.

For what it’s worth, the Inin site notes that “the price for the retail and the special edition of the NSW2 version will increase by €10 due to the still higher production costs,” a common element with produced physical cartridges.

Not Even A Year In, Game-Key Cards Have Been The Bane Of Players

Even before the Switch 2 officially dropped, the idea of Game-Key Cards, or full games not being available on a cartridge, was rubbing fans the wrong way. So much so that CEO Doug Bowser addressed the controversy by noting that physical games are still “a key part of our business,” and that the company plans to support them for “the immediate future.”

There’s been a number of titles that have released via Game-Key Card, only for players to respond negatively in response, including Persona 3 Reload. At one point, sentiment surrounding Switch 2 reached an all-time low, largely because of the cartridges.

Finally, in a massive blow to game preservation, Japan’s National Diet Library deemed Game-Key Cards not eligible for preservation, as the cartridges are not technically physical media that contain the content.