Nintendo fans are raising alarm after players say they were banned from the Switch 2 for using second-hand Switch 1 cartridges, including games bought from Facebook Marketplace and even rented from libraries.
In a Reddit post from July 8, one user claimed their Switch 2 was banned after they inserted used Switch 1 games and attempted to download patches. According to the player, Nintendo flagged the titles as copied content.
“Be careful buying used Switch 1 games. You can get banned if a bad actor dumped it,” they warned. “I inserted the game into my Switch 2 one by one and waited to patch… Today I turned on the console and was told my online service was restricted.”
Nintendo takes drastic action against copied software
According to the user, even newly purchased digital games were blocked from downloading due to the ban, and explained what happened deeper in the thread.
“The seller or someone else made a copy of the games on a MIG cartridge. Then they sold the originals. Any time both the original and a copy come online, both get banned. Then you contact Nintendo and show them that you have the original games. They unban you, and the thief stays banned.”
The player said Nintendo lifted the ban after they showed photos of the cartridges and their original Facebook listings.
“If you get banned, go [to Nintendo support] and under Talk to a human select Start Chat. It’s fast, painless, and you get a live person helping you!”
Another Redditor shared a similar story, claiming their ban stemmed from library rentals that had been previously copied.
Luckily, they too were unbanned after speaking with Nintendo support and revealed their conversation.
“Stay away from using the library,” they said. “The odds are really good that some jerk will copy them.”
These Are the Weirdest Prime Day Deals People Are Actually Buying on Amazon