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In many ways, theNintendo Switch 2is an incremental upgrade over the original Switch. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? In that sense, many of the new elements are easy to pick up, remaining mostly the same as what came before. A few thing software features have come with the Switch 2 though. Namely, GameShare.
If you’ve ever used Download Play on the DS, it’s basically that. It lets you share your games, though there are limitations to it that can make it a bit more confusing that expected. Here’s everything you could possibly need to know about the Switch 2’s GameShare feature.
What Is GameShare?
GameShare is functionally identical to Nintendo’s old DS Download Play. The idea is simple, and surprisingly consumer-friendly from Nintendo. In supported software, you can share large portions of the game, if not the whole thing, with another person with a Switch. This requires no downloads, installs, or anything else.
This is done through a GameShare session, where the person who owns the game hosts GameShare, and others without it can join to play the game together. This does meanthe game is only shared for as long the GameShare session is active, but means everyone gets to use their own hardware, rather than relying on a single screen and console.
How To Use GameShare
GameShare lets you play games with people who don’t own the game on different consoles. That’s great! Now how do we actually do that? It works a bit differently depending on if you are hosting or receiving the GameShare session. If you’re on the receiving end, you need to scroll tothe GameShare button on the Switch 2 home screen, which is right beside your album. From there, just choose to receive a session locally or over GameChat.
Locally, you can connect with another Switch 2 over wireless connection,no internet required. You can also use GameShare over the internet with anyone you are in a GameChat party with. This means no matter where you are, you can play your games together with friends, even if only one of you owns the game in question.
While local GameShare is entirely free, GameChat will require a Switch Online subscription in time, meaningnon-local GameShare will be a technically paid service.
If you are hosting the GameShare session, this is not done from the GameShare session, but from inside the supported game itself. This will differ with each game, thoughit is typically an extension of the existing multiplayer options. For example, in Super Mario Odyssey, GameShare is started from the original two-player menu, which now has two additional options to play in GameShare locally, or through GameChat.
A very important fact to keep in mind is that even over GameShare, certain aspects of a game won’t be available. For example,51 Worldwide Games only gives you access to 34 of its gamesover GameShare.
Can You Use GameShare With The Original Switch?
While GameShare is a feature that has been created primarily for use with the Switch 2, it is not exclusive to the system. The full freedom of the system is exclusive to the Switch 2, though in a slightly more restricted manner,it can also be used with the original Switch.
Since GameChat does not exist on the original Switch, this cuts out online GameShare entirely, leaving you with just local play. Another major caveat here.The original Switch cannot host a GameShare session, only receive one. So if you own a GameShare-supported game but not a Switch 2, then you’re out of luck.
Otherwise though, GameShare works much the same. Provided the game is available on Switch 1, thenthe content provided through GameShare will be the same as it would be between two Switch 2 systems.
Notably,a Switch 1 user cannot go to the Home menu when in a GameShare session, while a Switch 2 user can.
Every Game That Supports GameShare
At the time of this article.there are nine released games that support GameShare. Some of these games are exclusive to Switch 2, and thusly can only be used with two people with a Switch 2 console. For the games that are also present on the original Switch, these can be played on a Switch 1 provided someone with a Switch 2 starts the GameShare session.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
Both
4 players in 3D World, and 2 players in Bowser’s Fury.
Super Mario Odyssey
One person plays Mario, and the other Cappy like the default two-player mode.
Local
None
As you may see from the above,certain games can only be played over a local connection. This is likely to keep a stronger connection, thus restricting it to just local wireless.
Nintendo has promised that even more games in future will have support for GameShare, and hopefully even more third-party developers will support the system too.
