Nintendo Switch 2 GameShare explained

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 games with your friends, I’ve laid out all the different GameShare methods, and what you need to know before you start making the most out one of this generation’s latest features.

Local Wireless vs GameChat GameShare

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 both 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.

Rather than initiating 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. Select the new GameShare icon on the original Switch
5. Select ‘Accept GameShare’