Japan’s National Diet Library Rules Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Ineligible for Preservation
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Key points
- Japan’s National Diet Library has ruled out Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards from being preserved.
- The library also revealed that it has started preserving e-books and e-magazines.
- Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards only have the license to download the game, not the full game itself.
On Aug. 24, 2025, Famitsu published an article revealing that the National Diet Library said that Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards are not eligible for preservation according to the library’s current rules. The National Diet Library started preserving video games in late 2000.
Famitsu’s article, via Google Translate, mentioned that the download-only games are not subject to preservation, and only those that are physical and packaged ones are. The outlet even specifically asked about Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards, but the library only repeated itself.
However, the National Diet Library also revealed that it has started preserving e-books and e-magazines, giving hope that maybe in the future, digital games will follow suit. But for today, the library maintains its stance that the Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards are ineligible for preservation.
Nintendo Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards have been criticized by fans since the company revealed that they are essentially just licenses that allow the buyer to download the game they bought.
Despite this, some developers, like CD Projekt Red, still opted to put the whole game of Cyberpunk 2077 into the cartridge instead of simply releasing a game key, saying, “The right thing to do was to have it out on the cartridge with a plug and play experience.”
