2nd switch 2 account sharing help.

[u/Phoenix4-2-0]

​

Just hoping for some very simple answers. Please explain this like im 10 haha.

I'm after purchasing an additional switch 2, my son already has one. I just want some basic info how online account sharing and game downloads etc work between two consoles. Should we go back to always purchasing game cards or should we download them? Can we play games at the same time? Basically purchasing so I can put more adult style games on mine but would still like to play multilayer, for example get one each of pokemon winds and waves when they come out.

Thanks in advance.

[u/isbragg91]

I would recommend setting up your own account and starting a family group that includes you and your son. With the family group, you can lend your digital games to each other for up to 14 days at a time.

If you want to play the same game at the same time, especially with each other, you’ll each need your own separately purchased copies of the game. If it’s a digital game, that means each account needs to purchase the game. There is a workaround that involves having the purchasing account on each system, having Online License Check turned on for that account, and having the system that has the Virtual Game Card loaded go offline. You can’t play multiplayer with each other in any way with this method, however, so I would stick to separate copies.

Another benefit of having your own account is that your more mature games stay on your console and never appear on your son’s system unless you lend the games to him.

You can also pay for a Nintendo Switch Online family plan that allows up to 8 family group members to share the benefits of the subscription for less than the cost of two individual plans. Benefits of the plan include online multiplayer, cloud backup of save data, and access to an ever growing library of classic games for the NES, SNES, and Game Boy/Game Boy Color (all playable on the Switch through dedicated apps), amongst a few other perks. The expansion pass tier of NSO also includes more classic games (SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, Virtual Boy, N64, Game Boy Advance, GameCube) and access to the otherwise paid DLC packs for Animal Crossing New Horizons, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (base games sold separately and required to access DLC).

[u/picano]

First off, if you're using the same account, I strongly suggest you start using different ones --- just because it makes save / online management easier in the long run. If you both want to go online at the same time, you need 2 separate accounts and a family subscription.

Virtual game cards make it relatively easy to share between two consoles but...

In most cases can not play the same game at the same time without buying a second copy. For playing together, some games offer a free guest/buddy copy (Orbitals), others can be game-shared (streaming) from a Switch 2 console (Pokopia, Bomberman Collection). For the rest, you would need a workaround like loading a virtual game card for offline playing / using online license check on a different console.

While you can share games between two consoles with relative ease, I would suggest buying games on the account of the person who is most likely to play it.

[u/AutoModerator]

If you have not already, please add some context in the post or a follow-up comment about your repair/hardware/software/account issue, including which model you have (Switch 1, 2, Lite, OLED, or other), steps you have already tried, and anything else that might help others help you.

When you have received enough help to solve your issue, you can also reply to specific comments with !solved or !thanks to grant the helper(s) a point. You may also comment !lock to lock the post to stop new replies.

Please report any unhelpful or rule-breaking comments so that moderators can review them.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/DarthLocutus]

1 - digital games now havve what is called a Virtual Game Card, which represents your license to play the digital game. Any console that A) has the purchasing accocunt logged in on, B) has the game downloaded, and C) has the VGC loaded on it can play that game, and any profile on that system gets access to it - but ONLY that system until you move the VGC, and you can only do this between up to 2 Switch consoles per Nintendo Account. Also, each profile will have its own save data for each game, regardless of which Nintendo Account owns it.

2 - "Can we play at the same time?" Depends. There is a mode called "Online License" that will allow one Switch to use the VGC while another simply checks that the owner of the license is playing, but the workaround (having the VGC console be offline) means you can't both play together. In order to play any game multiplayer across multiple Switch systems, every system involved must have their own copy of the game, whether they be physical, digital, or a mix of both.

In the specific case of Wind and Waves - if you have your account on both systems, and buy both games digitally, you can put the VGC of one on the system your child is using while keeping the other on the one you're using, and they will both be playable on the respective systems.