No, you cannot sell digital Switch games
Unlike physical cartridges, digital Switch games are permanently tied to the purchasing Nintendo Account and cannot be resold, traded, or shared in any way not expressly authorized by Nintendo. Here‘s a detailed breakdown on the limitations:
Digital vs. Physical Switch Games
Physical and digital Nintendo Switch games give you the license to play the game, but digital copies have strict technological limits on sharing that physical cartridges do not:
Digital Switch Games
- Tied to your Nintendo Account which purchased it
- Protected by DRM limiting use to that account
- Cannot be resold or shared across accounts
- Take up storage space on console or SD card
Physical Switch Games
- Can be freely resold or lent to others
- No DRM limiting use per account
- Resellable value after you‘re done with game
- Require cartridge to play
As you can see, digital games provide convenience at the cost of resale abilities available with physical games.
Why You Can‘t Sell or Transfer Digital Switch Games
When you purchase a digital Switch game from the Nintendo eShop, you agree to a non-transferrable license to download and play the game on devices linked to the purchasing account. You do not actually own the game in a way that enables resale.
Here‘s why that matters:
No Ownership
You cannot resell something you don‘t actually own. Digital Switch games are licensed goods, not owned properties. Nintendo grants access which can be revoked per the eShop Terms of Use.
DRM and Account Restrictions
Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology limits game access exclusively to the purchasing account by verifying credentials online with Nintendo before launching each game. This authorization requirement prevents sharing games across accounts.
Terms of Service Prohibit Transfers
Trying to resell or share access beyond the purchasing account would violate Nintendo‘s eShop Terms of Service, potentially resulting in account suspension or banning if caught.
Permanent Association to Accounts
An account losing access to previously purchased digital Switch software is not grounds for authorized sharing or transfer to a different user. Those licenses remain permanently associated with the original purchasing account according to Nintendo.
Given these restrictions hard-coded into digital Switch games and threat of account discipline, reselling them is impossible.
What Are Your Options?
While you can‘t resell digital Switch games, you do have options:
Limited Sharing Rights
You can designate your Switch as the "primary console" for an account then share access to its digital games with other local users on secondary devices. However, only one person can play at a time per account and an internet connection is required for verification.
Refund Eligibility
The Nintendo eShop will refund digital game purchases only if requested within 14 days AND you have not yet loaded or played the game. So download carefully before opening.
Reselling Download Codes – With Big Risks
Some retailers sell digital download codes which could potentially be resold. But codes become non-transferrable once redeemed to an account. Also, buyers cannot verify used codes beforehand, risking wasted money on already redeemed keys. Reselling download codes violates most Terms of Service.
While not directly prohibited per se until codes get assigned to an account, reselling download codes skirts awfully close to violating both Nintendo‘s and the retailer‘s Terms of Use. Not worth the small potential profits for risk of losing account access forever if caught. Don‘t do it.
The Bottom Line
Digital Switch games remain permanently tied to the Nintendo Account which purchased them with no option to resell, trade, or transfer to other users in the future. Choose carefully when buying digital over physical copies!
If maintaining resale value matters, stick to purchasing physical game cartridges. Otherwise, go digital for convenience and portability knowing those games stay with your account forever with no ability to recoup value later.
