Guide: How To Tell If A Nintendo Switch 2 Game Card Can Be Played On Nintendo Switch

Did you know that certain Nintendo Switch 2 Game Cards can be played on Nintendo Switch?

In this guide, we will explain how this works and what you should look out for.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games

On Nintendo Switch 2, players can enjoy Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games. These games include the base Nintendo Switch game, as well as an Upgrade Pack that allows the player to enjoy better performance, higher quality graphics, and gameplay content that makes use of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware.

There are Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games that are released as physical editions, and these Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Game Cards can not only be played on Nintendo Switch 2, but also Nintendo Switch. However, when playing on Nintendo Switch, you can only access the base Nintendo Switch game, meaning that you cannot enjoy the enhancements and gameplay content locked behind the Upgrade Pack, as that is only accessible when playing on Nintendo Switch 2.

For more information on Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, please check out our guide here.

How to tell if a Game Card is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game?

There are two ways you can tell if a game is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game.

1. Check the physical game packaging

The easiest way to tell is by looking at the packaging. For games that are Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles, the bottom part of the front of the packaging should contain a message saying that the game includes the “Nintendo Switch game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack”:

Another way to tell is by looking at the back of the packaging, however this may not work for games sold in the Americas. Every physical game comes with a platform code (the first three alphabets of a product code). If the platform code is “NXS“, this means that the product is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game that can also be played on Nintendo Switch.

• BEE-P-AAAAA – Mario Kart World (Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive software, Game Card) – playable on Nintendo Switch only
• NXS-P-AAAAC – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition software, Game Card) – playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch
• POT-P-????? – Example for Game-Key Card (Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive software, Game-Key Card) – usable on Nintendo Switch 2 only
• HAC-P-AAAAA – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch software, Game Card) -playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch

2. Check the cartridge

If you don’t have the box for whatever reason, you can also look at the cartridge. Look for the first two alphabets on the bottom black corner cartridge label (as pictured below). If the alphabets start with “LN“, that means it is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game.

• LB-XXXXX-XX-0 (Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive software, Game Card) – playable on Nintendo Switch only
• LN-XXXXX-XX-0  (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition software, Game Card) – playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch
• LP-XXXXX-XX-0 (Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive software, Game-Key Card) – usable on Nintendo Switch 2 only
• LA-H-XXXXX-XX (Nintendo Switch software, Game Card) -playable on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch