Nintendo Unveils New Virtual Game Card System to Hide Game Cards

Nintendo has rolled out its new Virtual Game Card (VGC) system with the latest Switch update, providing users with the ability to keep their game cards under wraps. If you're keen on keeping your game collection private, this update offers a solution. As demonstrated by a user on X/Twitter, you can now hide your Virtual Game Cards from your acquired list on Nintendo's VGC portal, ensuring that others won't see the games you've tucked away for personal reasons.

I personally tested this feature and successfully hid titles such as Suikoden I&II HD Remaster and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While these games still show up on my OLED Switch when installed or loaded, they disappear from the list once uninstalled.

Nintendo's new Virtual Game Card system is now live on the Switch, paving the way for the upcoming Switch 2 launch. To view your hidden games, navigate to "Redownload Software" in your games list, then head to the "Can't Find Software?" section and log into your Nintendo account. This method applies both on the console and the Nintendo website, where hidden games are tucked away in a separate folder under "Can't Find Software?"

If you're sharing your console and wish to keep certain games like Mortal Kombat or Doom out of sight, this feature can serve as a useful parental control tool. It's also handy if you have titles in your Switch library that you'd prefer not to display at social gatherings. The process, though, can be a bit cumbersome; you'll need to unhide and reload games to play them again. It's worth noting that my account still showed me playing Suikoden I&II HD Remaster in my Play Activity after booting it up.

Nevertheless, the ability to hide Virtual Game Cards is now at your fingertips. Alongside this feature, the latest update has introduced redesigned icons, a system transfer feature for the upcoming Switch 2, and has largely closed a popular loophole for game sharing. For more details on the new Nintendo Switch firmware update, you can delve deeper here.