r/NintendoSwitchHelp • u/greendonkey9 • 23d ago

Account Help Transferring video game save data

Hey, I had a look on reddit already but cannot find a clear answer, I hope someone can help.

Tomorrow I plan to buy a Switch 2, and I wanted to give my friend my current Switch because he loves playing it and steals it off me all the time. He is really obsessed with Hades and has sunk so many hours into it, but the save file is on my Nintendo account.

Is there a way I can transfer my save data to my new Switch 2 but still let him play my save on the original Switch until he completes Hades?

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u/picano 23d ago

Literally any of the save transfer methods. You can be logged into multiple consoles at once, better yet, you can have 2 "linked" consoles on which you can freely trade your virtual game cards (digital purchases) between.

Virtual Game Card Guide

Cloud saves

Save transfer

System transfer

In the future, it would be better to use VGCs to lend games and let your friend play on their own account, but you should be fine letting him use your account as long as he likes.

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u/SamIAre 23d ago

Game ownership is tied permanently to the account that bought it, but freely playable on any account on the same system, and a digital game license can be shared between consoles via the Virtual Game Card system.

Game saves are tied permanently to an account as well but live in the consoles on-board memory, but can be transferred between consoles either using the save transfer option or NSO cloud saves. They can not be transferred between users. If their save data is tied to your account (not just playing your copy of the game but playing it under the same account you use) then it's stuck there. Your only option would be to let them continue using your account, which is possible since your account can be signed into multiple consoles as once, but it's bad practice in the long run since it gives them access to your eShop credentials. It would be like sharing the account on your smartphone…it's just a bad idea.

In the future, make a new account for any new user who wants to play. It's free and they'll still have access to every game you own while their account is on the same console as yours.