Finally, You Can Lend Your Digital Nintendo Switch Games

There’s a certain charm to physical game cartridges—they allow seamless sharing between friends and can be effortlessly moved between different systems. With the transition to digital gaming, that flexibility was lost, but a recent announcement from Nintendo has revived the idea of lending digital games on the Nintendo Switch, albeit with a few restrictions.

Restricted Lending: Only Within Your Circle

Nintendo has opted for a controlled approach in its digital lending policy. You can only lend your games to members within your designated Nintendo family group and between your own Switch consoles if you own multiple. In total, your family group can encompass up to eight people, and there’s no stipulation requiring all members to reside in the same household—perfect for inviting friends to join your gaming circle!

A Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to utilize these features, and by upgrading to a family plan, it’s an economical way to share the subscription fees while enjoying all the benefits collectively.

If you’re not part of a family group yet, log into your Nintendo account to create one. Select the Family Group option and then click on Add a member. All you need is the email address of your intended invitee. Once they confirm their invitation, they’ll become part of your group.

Adding a new member to a Nintendo Switch family group.

Prepare for the Upcoming Software Update

Excitement is in the air as I prepare to lend my digital library! However, the Virtual Game Card system has its official launch scheduled for April 2025. After performing a system update in April, your digital games will transform into Virtual Game Cards, giving the experience a more physical gaming feel. Rest assured, the gameplay itself remains unchanged.

How to Easily Lend Games to Your Family

To lend one of your Virtual Game Cards, navigate to Settings and select the game card icon. Choose your desired game and tap on Lend to Family Member. Select the recipient and hit Lend. It’s as simple as that!

Your nominated family member will receive a notification informing them of their new Virtual Game Card. Note that the lending period is set for 14 days; afterward, the game is automatically returned to your library. During this period, you will not be able to access the game, but your save data will remain intact. Once the game is returned, you can continue right where you left off. If your friend enjoys it, they can always borrow it again or decide to purchase it for themselves, ensuring their saved progress is never lost!

Seamlessly Switch Between Consoles

The game transfer process has become a breeze—no more messing with SD cards! Now, via a local Wi-Fi connection, you can lend digital Nintendo Switch games to yourself between systems associated with the same Nintendo account without any time constraints.

To switch your games, go to Settings, select the game card icon, and choose Load on another system. Alternately, you can opt for Load on this system if you want to retrieve a previously lent game. Keep both systems powered on and connected to the Internet to complete the transfer smoothly.

Understanding Lending Restrictions

This new lending feature has also been designed with the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 in mind, aiming to ease the transition for players while attracting new gamers to the Switch ecosystem.

However, there are restrictions to be aware of. Although Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 will support backward compatibility, there will be exclusive titles that can only be loaned to other Switch 2 owners. Additionally, certain digital games might opt-out of the lending program, although the majority will likely join in to promote their titles.

Furthermore, if you’ve downloaded a demo, that cannot be lent, as it’s not owned content. Furthermore, if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online member, digital games exclusive to the membership—like classic NES, SNES, and Sega games—are off-limits for lending.

Classic Nintendo games included with Nintendo Switch Online Membership.

For those interested in playing Switch titles on a Mac without a Nintendo console, check out this emulator to get started!

Image credit: Unsplash.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I create a family group for lending games?

To create a family group, log into your Nintendo account on a desktop or mobile browser, select the Family Group option, and click Add a member. You will need the email address of the person you want to invite.

2. What happens if I lend a game and it gets returned? Can I recover my progress?

Yes! Your save data remains intact when a game is lent and returned. You can resume playing right from where you left off after the loan period is over.

3. What restrictions are there on what games I can lend?

Some games may not support lending, particularly demos or those exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online. Exclusive titles for the upcoming Switch 2 will also only be lendable to owners of that console.

Source & Images