Bethesda is reminding gamers that Nintendo Switch 2 versions of Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition don't come with an actual game cartridge in their physical releases, or even a Game-Key Card. Rather, players picking up either of these games can receive a Nintendo Switch 2 game case with a code inside, further blurring the lines of what qualifies as a physical game release.
Two RPGs with startlingly different settings, both Skyrim and Fallout 4 are among the most universally loved Bethesda games in the developer's history. Ten-year anniversary editions of these classic RPGs were released in 2021 and 2025, respectively, featuring new community creations, game mechanics, full DLC catalogs, and more. While both of these anniversary editions were previously launched on other platforms, they have arrived on Switch 2 as of April 28.
Annapurna Announces Slate of Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games
Annapurna Interactive has just announced its upcoming slate of Nintendo Switch 2 games, and the roster is stacked.
Physical Switch 2 Versions Betheda Classics Don't Even Have a Game-Key Card
Now, Bethesda has sent out a social media post reminding potential customers that while physical versions of both games are technically available, they only consist of a game box with a digital code contained inside. This message has sparked mockery from the gamer community, which is unsurprising considering the social movements demanding more physical games that have arisen over the past few years. Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges have a maximum file size of 64 GB, and the two anniversary editions on other platforms have varying file sizes depending on platform. The Switch 2 versions top other platforms in file size, but both should reasonably still be able to fit on cartridges, with Skyrim Anniversary Edition reported at 53 GB and Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition at just under 61 GB.
Surprisingly, both games have even skipped over using Switch 2 Game-Key Cards, devices that many third-party developers have utilized in the console's short lifespan. Nintendo revealed its Game-Key Cards about two months before the release of the Switch 2, explaining them as red, cartridge-shaped objects that hold a redemption key for a game instead of the actual game data itself. Designed to allow the hybrid console to run third-party games that would normally be too large for a standard cartridge to contain, producing Game-Key Cards would also allow for faster production of units while still giving collectors the ability to show off a game case, even if an actual physical game was not contained within.
While plenty of game preservationists and Nintendo fans have already been upset over the Game-Key Card business model, the latest move to provide just a code in a case may have just proven itself even more frustrating. Online reactions to Bethesda's announcement have shown a mass wave of disapproval regarding the decision, especially considering that both of these games have already seen multiple releases across a number of different platforms and each is more than a decade old. Some have called the empty boxes a "waste of plastic" and complained that they don't need "clutter on our shelves," accusing Bethesda of being completely out-of-touch with what its customers actually want.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Multiple fans have also pointed out that the Bethesda-published Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on May 12, and its physical version will contain an actual game cartridge. That fact provides some solace for the Bethesda fan community, but it has also raised questions as to why the company would release two of its other games for Switch 2 as little more than empty boxes.
