Nintendo Unveils System to Hide Game Cards

Nintendo has rolled out its new Virtual Game Card (VGC) system with the latest Switch update, providing users with an innovative way to manage their digital game library. For those concerned about privacy, the system now includes a feature that allows you to hide your Virtual Game Cards from your acquired list on Nintendo's VGC portal. This means that any games you choose to hide will not be visible to others browsing your list, offering you control over what others can see about your gaming preferences.

A user on X/Twitter demonstrated this functionality, showing how games like Suikoden I&II HD Remaster and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could be concealed. While these hidden games will still appear on your OLED Switch if they're installed or loaded, they vanish from the list once uninstalled. To access your hidden games, you'll need to navigate to the "Redownload Software" section, then proceed to the "Can't Find Software?" option and log into your Nintendo account. This method applies both on the console and the website, where hidden games are tucked away in a separate folder under the same option.

While this feature requires some effort to unhide and reload games for play, it can serve as a useful tool for parental controls or for maintaining privacy about your game collection. For instance, if you're sharing your console and wish to keep certain games like Mortal Kombat or Doom out of sight, this feature could be particularly useful. It might also come in handy if you prefer not to display certain titles at social gatherings.

Beyond the VGC system, the latest update brings redesigned icons, introduces a system transfer feature in anticipation of the Switch 2, and has mostly closed a popular loophole for game sharing. For more details on these updates, you can explore the new Nintendo Switch firmware update [ttpp].