Nintendo Unveils Virtual Game Card System to Hide Cards from List

Nintendo's latest Switch update introduces the new Virtual Game Card (VGC) system, now live and ready for use. For those concerned about privacy, the update offers a valuable feature: the ability to hide your game cards from view. This means you can keep certain games private, ensuring they don't appear on your acquired list on Nintendo's VGC portal.

A user on X/Twitter confirmed this functionality, showing that Virtual Game Cards can indeed be concealed. I personally tested this feature and successfully hid games like Suikoden I&II HD Remaster and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While these games still appear on my OLED Switch when installed or loaded, they disappear from the list once uninstalled.

Nintendo's new Virtual Game Card system is live now on the Switch ahead of the Switch 2's launch. To access your hidden games, navigate to the "Redownload Software" section of your games list, then go to "Can't Find Software?" and log into your Nintendo account. The same method applies on the Nintendo website, where hidden games are tucked away in a separate folder under the "Can't Find Software?" option.

This feature can be particularly useful for hiding games you might not want others to see when sharing your console. However, it's a bit cumbersome as you'll need to unhide and reload games to play them again. Additionally, my account still showed as playing Suikoden I&II HD Remaster in Play Activity when I booted it up.

For shared consoles, this could serve as a parental control feature to keep games like Mortal Kombat or Doom out of reach. It might also be handy if you prefer to keep certain titles private at social gatherings.

With the latest update, you can now hide your Virtual Game Cards. The update also includes redesigned icons, a system transfer feature in preparation for the upcoming Switch 2, and has mostly closed a popular loophole for game sharing. For more details on the new Nintendo Switch firmware update, you can read further here.