Nintendo issues ban on Switch 2 owners using this cart

Nintendo is banning Switch 2 users with MIG Switch carts from online play

Nintendo has started to ban Switch 2 users who use MIG Switch cartridges, preventing them from using the online features of their new consoles. While their consoles remain usable in offline mode, the loss of online features is a big deal. This is especially true for Switch 2, given the expanded multiplayer features of games like Mario Kart World.

Based on currently available information, Nintendo’s bans impact specific consoles, not the online accounts of Switch users. Regardless, buying a new Switch 2 console is a large expense. After all, the console costs £399.

MIG Switch cartridges can be used to store and play multiple Switch games on a single cartridge. The cartridge can be used to store digital backups of Switch games or pirated games. Nintendo sees the MIG Switch cart as a device for game piracy. This is why Nintendo are issuing bans on Switch 2 consoles that are caught using it. Currently, it is unknown how Nintendo are detecting the use of MIG Switch cartridges on Switch 2 consoles.

In the example below, we have a Switch with 2 users who had their consoles banned for using a MIG cartridge. This user claims to have used “perfectly legal dumps” of their own game cartridges. Note that this user owns all of the games on their MIG cartridges. However, Nintendo has no way of knowing this. Even so, Nintendo would likely see this use of a MIG cartridge as piracy regardless.

My Switch 2 test has been banned, after using the mig switch with perfectly legal dumps of my own cartridges, so it would seem that Nintendo can detect something
Similar reports on reddit are starting to come in.https://t.co/nbPMlRWSaPhttps://t.co/3eq6dkbFMi
I strongly… pic.twitter.com/btzjQYJzE4

— SwitchTools (@SwitchTools) June 16, 2025

Expect Nintendo to continue to ban Switch 2 users

This will likely be the first of many ban waves that Switch 2 users will face. If you plan on using your Switch 2 console in a way that Nintendo doesn’t like, Nintendo will probably issue a ban on your system. That said, if you only plan on using official game cartridges and have no plans to hack your console, there is no reason to be worried. If you play by Nintendo’s rules, your console won’t be banned.

You can join the discussion on Nintendo disabling online functions on Switch 2 consoles with MIG cartridges on the OC3D Forums.