Switch 2 owners are reportedly getting banned from going online after trying to use a special cartridge that lets you play pirated games.
Back in May, almost a month before the release of the Switch 2, Nintendo updated its Account User Agreement and Privacy Policy and added a section that banned the ability to “bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with” their games and services.
If the system detects that you’ve failed to comply with the restrictions, Nintendo added a section revealing that they hold the ability to render your console unusable.
Many people online questioned how strict Nintendo would be with the new rules at the time, but now owners of the popular MiG Flash cartridge are reportedly getting banned from online services.
Switch 2 owners are getting banned
In a post on the Switch2Hacks subreddit, one user issued a warning to others about using the MiG Flash on their Switch 2.
“Just wanted to let everyone know to refrain from using their MiG Flash on the Switch 2 online for now,” they said. “My switch 2 was just banned(my account is fine for now). Only games I had were my backed up games. Must be some new detection Nintendo has on these mig switches. Pretty dumb of me to go online with it. That’s on me.”
Others flocked to the comments on the post to mention much of the same. They used the MiG Flash to play their own legally purchased games and were banned from accessing Nintendo’s online services shortly after.
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“I used it when the Mig flash update went live. My console got banned. I checked my account on Switch OLED and am not banned from services there,” one user commented.
Another said: “I had the same thing. Hit a few hours ago. I have only used my own backed-up games on the mig switch and got the ban hammer. At least it is confirmed that they can detect the MIG switch.”
The MiG Flash cartridge for the Nintendo Switch launched back in 2024 as a way to allow customers the ability to play all of their favorite games without having to swap them out all the time.
It launched alongside a separate accessory that allows people to create backups of their purchased games to put on the MiG Flash without having to download them from the internet.
This isn’t the first time Nintendo has taken action against the MiG Flash cartridge’s existence, either. Back in June 2024, they filed a lawsuit against its parent company over the device’s ability to bypass Nintendo’s copy protection on the Switch.