This issue *could* ruin Nintendo Switch collecting! Be aware!!

⚠️⚠️PSA!!

This is VERY IMPORTANT, please read.

This may not affect you personally, but it’s something to keep in mind.

We have encountered this issue with several games. As shown in the picture below, the switch does an error of “a software update is required. Update data will be downloaded now”. This is not new to us. We have known this for years now. Just to go over this part really quick, If you have a game cart with version 1.0.0 and you update the game to a new patch of 1.0.2, and then you RUN the game, the switch will require that patch going forward and you will not be able to reverse to the older version unless you factory reset the switch. Again this has been known for years now.

But, there is a new factor to this that wasn’t really discussed or known until recently and we have some examples. There are games out there such as Gato Roboto, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, MushuhumeSama that have cartridge builds that don’t have patches. As an example, Gato Roboto 001 has version 1.0.6 on cart with special reserve, mighty gunvolt burst has 1.4.2 on cart thru LRG and MushuhumeSama has version 1.0.5 thru LRG. All three of these games are complete on cart and have no patches available. None.

Now, all three of these games have cartridges in other regions that have a higher version number. Gato Roboto got released thru the triple pack retail version and it now has version 1.0.7 on cart. Mighty gunvolt got released in a collection in Japan and is now version 1.4.3. MushuhumeSama got released in Japan with version 1.0.8. If you run your game with any of these new version numbers, and then try and go back and use the older cart, they will NOT work. The switch will now require the new patch. The problem?? There is no patch available as mentioned before. All games I mentioned have no new patches as of today. So the switch will then force you to use the new cartridge whether you want to or not. Your older cart will be completely useless going forward.

There is a workaround but it requires more than one switch or a full reset for the switch itself.

Again, this may not affect you. It doesn’t affect me per se but knowledge is power. And it’s better to know the info before it just randomly happens to you! Be aware!

[Subgeta]

Update loop glitch due to different game ver. run. So sys check will not allow it to run if you run a higher cart ver., then run a lower cart ver. as its trying to fetch update file, but errors out as it thinks it has latest version. It caches the data too, so if you delete the title software, it will delete save data too unless it lets you backup to Nintendo cloud save

Also do be careful when running games like this as it can possibly corrupt or lock save data due to version loop. I say this from experience as it happened with Xenoblade Chronicles 1. Had to start over, and 40hr progress lost.

[Minkinator]

I'd gladly go back to long loading times with the full game on the disc rather than this sh*t

[nekomorph]

Once you get locked into a more recent update, even if you delete the game off the Switch, and then insert the cartridge while offline, it still won't boot up an older build, forcing you to download the most recent patch. The only way to fix being locked out of a game and to be able to play an older build is to factory reset the console. This wipes all the patch history on the console

If you have two Switch consoles, you can transfer your account to the second console, and transfer (most) of your saves, factory reset the first console, and then transfer your account back to the original console you had just reset and you can boot up an older game version again. It's a hassle for sure, but it works

[sammyall]

Remember when games CAME complete.. no 100gb updates

[Axemark]

Nintendo needs to stop forcing new versions. It goes against cartridges and even one of the Switch's selling points, portability. This is why I never update.

[varietychan]

A full factory reset required just to get back to the earlier (and often better) version. Honestly why I perfer using emulation, no update forcing

[TDAdvocate]

I am blown away by how severe of an issue this is for such a niche set of games having it. Like this is seriously bad for long term use of the console generation. I really hope that they at least fix this issue for when switch goes EOL but knowing Nintendo they never will change this because its somehow homebrew and piracy's fault. 🤷🤦‍♂️🤣

[bllydrum]

This affected me when I got my physical copy of Final Fantasy 7+8. The cartridge has both games appear individually on the Home Screen. Once I played them via cartridge, I was unable to play them digitally because the cartridge version had a unique build that was then required.

I had to do a "set version across multiple switches" to rectify this.

[stealth]

Weird that some cartridges have these exclusive versions you can’t download, definitely an oversight of the switches downgrade prevention that sets a flag that prevents you from playing a lower version if you play a higher version. Having to factory reset or match versions with local users to play the other copies again is not the most elegant.

[jasp]

I hate updates. I remember the days games shipped finished.

[name]

i don’t understand why they don’t just let you revert to the original cart version. like if there’s a major issue, they can just have a warning page saying what would break if you revert. you should be able to download earlier versions for digital games too, like why not?

[KirbCakesEvie]

Hopefully this issue gets addressed. I have the same problem with these 2 games, and I don't have another Switch to match the version with. At least there is a workaround for those who are able to utilize it.

[StiffAftermath]

For some games, not even deleting the save files (the discrepancy between cart and save versions cause incompatibility issues and force a download) has helped to be able to play games off the cart alone. There is something in the system itself that recognizes an outdated version of the game and forces a download.

[kuyakeyk]

I think this issue should be address to LRG.

[szczecin_]

The problem here, is that its not Nintendos Fault, it's on the debeloperts of the games. Stardew Valley used to have that update loop glitch, but it was patched with version 1.6
There is a lot to blame Nintendo for, but that's not it
They are protecting the savefiles from the cards

[Jackbat]

This is why you always keep the most up to date version Physically

[vicpon]

While the problem isn’t new I hope this brings more awareness to it.
I remember probably a year or two ago when someone on Twitter got the physical release for Stardew Valley and it had a build on the cartridge that the digital version did not. And after trying that the gf decided to buy the game digitally or something however she couldn’t start the game because the eShop did not yet have that build. Same thing you did resolved the issue for them back then.
This is also why the Japanese physical for Star Melody is not preferable over the SEA/Chinese version. Even tho they both have a Japanese cartridge only the one in SEA/Taiwanese copies seems to be the 001 with a patch. That at least was and perhaps still is not available to download.

[redcrimson]

I agree. I expereince this quite a few times. The way how I solve this problem is that I have multiple switches. I have a switch that"i do not update". That switch is play all the games on. The more you update your switch, the more drm issues u run into. It's best to have a separate switch that plays all your old games and use another switch for updates. You run into this drm issues with digital games

[juancimino]

The more information we have the better, thank you for sharing

[Wheeljackk]

I remember reading about Binding of Isaac having similar issues as it was released twice by different publishers. One version got updates through the eShop, the other one didn't. Don't know if this is sorted out by now or if both releases even share the same game id.