Nintendo Unveils New System to Hide Game Cards

Nintendo has introduced its new Virtual Game Card (VGC) system with the latest Switch update, now allowing users to conceal their game cards from prying eyes. This feature, as demonstrated by a user on X/Twitter, enables 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 appear in your list, providing privacy for whatever reasons you might have.

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

To view your hidden games, you can navigate to your games list through the "Redownload Software" section and then access the "Can't Find Software?" area, where you'll need to log into your Nintendo account. The same process applies on the Nintendo website, where hidden games are stored in a separate folder accessible through the "Can't Find Software?" option.

This feature can be particularly useful for hiding games that you wouldn't want others to see when using your console. However, it's a bit cumbersome as you need to unhide and reload games to play them again. Additionally, my account still showed as playing Suikoden I&II HD Remaster when I launched it, and it was also recorded in my Play Activity.

This could serve as a parental control feature if you're sharing your console and want to keep certain games, like Mortal Kombat or Doom, out of reach. Alternatively, if you have titles in your Switch library that you'd rather keep private during social gatherings, this feature might come in handy.

With the latest update, your Virtual Game Cards can now be hidden away. The update also includes redesigned icons, a system transfer feature for the upcoming Switch 2, and the closure of a popular game-sharing loophole. For more details on the new Nintendo Switch firmware update, you can read further here.