Nintendo Switch 2 GameShare explained

Photo taken by Sam Loveridge of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch using the GameShare feature.
(Image credit: Future/Sam Loveridge)

GameShare is one of the key features separating the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 from its predecessor. Essentially, it allows you to play and share games with friends locally or over an online connection to another Switch 2 or original Switch handheld.

Want to replay through Super Mario Odyssey but have your bff as your trusty friend Cappy? Well, that can be arranged, and you only need one copy of the game to set it up. There are, naturally, some restrictions. You can share a game to play with a friend locally, but you'll need to be close by and on the same Wi-Fi network. You can alternatively share a game via the new GameChat feature, but it requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, and not every game can be shared from one system to another.

If you're eager to start playing Switch gamesꦗ with your friends, I've laid out all the different GameShare methods, and what you need to know before you start making t✤he most out one of this generation's latest features.

Local Wireless vs GameChat GameShare

Photo of the Nintendo Switch 2 using the new GameShare feature taken by Sam Loveridge.

(Image credit: Future/Sam Loveridge)

There are two ways you can set up GameShare on your Nintendo Switch 2, and the first one is via a local wireless connection. So long as your friend and their console are nearby and hooked up to the same Wi-Fi connection, you can share your compatible Switch 2 or OG Switch games to their system.

That means you can both𝓡 play with only one copy of the game. Only a Nintendo Switch 2 can send games, but the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and OLED Switch models can receive them.

Photo of the OLED Switch showing the GameSharing feature, taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.

(Image credit: Future/Rosalie Newcombe)

Rather than initi༺ating GameShare on the Nintendo Switch 2 through the system settings, you actually activate through any supported game. To start GameShare via local communication, follow the steps below:

  1. Turn on Nintendo Switch 2
  2. Load up a GameShare-compatible game
  3. Select GameShare from the game's start menu
  4. Once prompted, select 'A Local User' from the available list

Alternatively, if you want to share your game🌊 with friends who live far away, you can GameShare via the brand-new GameChat feature. To do this, follow these steps instead:

  1. Turn on Nintendo Switch 2
  2. Load up a GameShare-compatible game
  3. Select GameShare from the game's start menu
  4. Once prompted, select 'A User in a GameChat Session'

GameChat is only available on the Nintendo Switch 2, so you will only be able to play through co-op or multiplayer games with friends who also own the new handheld. It also require😼s having a🌄n active Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Until March 31, 2026, Nintendo is providing GameChat for free to Switch 2 owners, so you'll have plenty of time to see if it's worth investing in a Nintendo Switch Online membership, if you haven't already. Afterwards, it will be locked behind that NSO paywall, alongside GameShare.

It's worth mentioning that your friends will only be allowed to play any shared game during that GameChat session. Once it ends, your friend's access to playing that shared game will end with it.

You'll find a full list of GameShare-compatible Nintendo Switch gඣames, and whether or not they're able to be shared locally or via Ga🔜meChat below.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 Game

Can it be shared locally?

Can it be shared via GameChat?

Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ♎+ Jamboree TV

Yes

No

Big Brain Academy Brain vs. Brain

Yes

Yes

Super Mario™ 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Yes

Yes

Clubhouse Games 51 Worldwide Classics

Yes

Yes

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

Yes

Yes

Super Mario Odyssey

Yes

Yes

For now, there isn't a huge list of compatible games that can be shared via GameChat. If you were hoping to play Mario Kart World, for example, with only one copy between friends, you're out of luck for now. However, Nintendo has stated that select Switch games will become "compatible with GameShare after free software updates" which hopef💜ully means there's plenty of new compatible titles to come.

How to Set Up GameShare

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