Nintendo is already banning Switch 2 flashcart users

Facepalm: Besides offering a substantial hardware upgrade and exciting new features, the Switch 2 is also shaping up to be a decidedly anti-modding platform. The new console includes robust anti-piracy measures, and users are already starting to feel the effects on their accounts.

Multiple reports confirm what many suspected from the start: Nintendo is actively working to block "easy" modding attempts and prevent potential piracy on its new console.

Nintendo certainly isn't losing money on Switch 2 sales – millions of gamers have already purchased the system within just a few days. However, some who tried to run backup copies of their legally purchased games found themselves abruptly banned from online services as a result.

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

Several users have confirmed that using the Mig Switch (now known as Mig Flash) cartridge on the Switch 2 can result in an unexpected ban from Nintendo. The Mig Switch is a reprogrammable cartridge that mimics a genuine Switch game card, with the added benefit of extracting ROMs and storing multiple games on a single microSD card.

There are legitimate reasons someone might want to extract backups of their legally purchased Switch games, and the Mig Switch cartridge doesn't appear to modify or tamper with the console's firmware. Yet, attempting to play a legal game dump is now enough for Nintendo to flag and ban an account for potentially unauthorized activity.

While using the Mig Switch was already risky in the past, the Switch 2 has made things even more challenging for the modding community.

Some Switch 2 owners report that the console itself can be banned, but online accounts appear to remain unaffected – at least for now. A banned console loses access to all internet services, meaning players can no longer engage in multiplayer matches, access the eShop for digital purchases, watch YouTube, or store game saves in the cloud.

Released on June 5, 2025, the Switch 2 will likely remain on the market for years to come. Nintendo could choose to lift bans on affected consoles in the future, or things might remain as they are now. Using the Mig Switch or other modding tools on a brand new console was always a daring move, and it's even riskier now that it's clear Nintendo is actively policing for piracy and EULA violations.