Nintendo quietly confirms "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games" as a separate thing to console exclusives following Virtual Game Cards' big reveal

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Before yesterday's Nintendo Direct, Nintendo was adamant that no news about the Switch 2 would be revealed during the presentation, but the aftermath of one of its more surprising announcements may have given away a crucial bit of information about the next console and the games we can expect to play on it. Namely, it appears that Nintendo could be hinting that Switch 2 versions of Switch 1 games will be a thing.

Amongst the latest news about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a new Rhythm Heaven game, and much more, Nintendo unveiled "Virtual Game Cards" – a feature which will let you share your digital games with another of your consoles, and even lend games to friends and family. This is planned to roll out on current Switch consoles in late April, as well as Switch 2 in the future, but it's the fine print on the feature's compatibility with the new console that's turning heads.

"Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games can only be loaded on a Nintendo Switch 2 system," Nintendo states on its webpage explaining the new feature. Switch 2 exclusive games we knew about, of course, but Switch 2 edition? The fact that this is stated as something separate to an exclusive game suggests that this is a different version of a game that'll already exist in some other way.

We already knew that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with Switch 1 games (seemingly most of them, at least), but this suggests that it might not simply be a case of loading up those games and having the exact same experience that you would on the older console. Could Nintendo be planning some new-gen upgrades like we've seen on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, for example, or potentially even releasing enhanced Switch 2 versions of upcoming games like Pokemon Legends: Z-A alongside the regular Switch releases? Alternatively, a Switch 2 edition game could simply refer to the Switch 2 release of a title that's also launching on other platforms like PlayStation or Xbox.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see – there's a good chance that we could get a definitive answer next week during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, which airs on April 2.

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I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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