One of the most popular games of 2026 has been under fire in early 2026 as Dispatch fans have taken issue with the censorship on the game’s Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions. While Dispatch isn’t too raunchy a game, it does contain some clearly NSFW scenes that have been the target of its censored Switch release. Although this type of censorship is confusing and upsetting for fans who expected the original, uncensored experience, it’s reached the point that the absurdity of the censors almost makes the game unintentionally even more hilarious as a result.
Part of what makes Dispatch so beloved is the game’s delicate balance between humor and genuinely well-written characters. In several instances, the risque scenes in Dispatch are required for visual gags that don’t land the same when they are censored. As a result, the censored version of Dispatch almost feels like an absurdist comedy with how characters react to content that players can’t actually see due to the censors.
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Dispatch’s Censorship is Almost Comical in the Context of the Game
At the core of Dispatch is a narrative about redemption for a group of underdogs and a washed-up hero trying to avenge his father. Robert Robertson’s relationship with the Z Team, Blonde Blazer, and Chase is built upon the hijinks the group experiences together and bonds over. When parts of this journey are censored, not only does it detract from the experience originally intended by the developers, but it also removes a layer of that shared moment between the player and the characters that makes them feel like they are a part of the Dispatch‘s world.
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The Dispatch Censorship Controversy Explained
When Dispatch was released on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on January 28, players realized that the game’s censorship mode was on by default with no option to toggle it off. This detail was not advertised beforehand, leaving some fans who purchased the game on the Switch feeling like they had been misled. In response, Dispatch developer AdHoc issued a statement claiming that Nintendo had required the game censor its mature content to meet the platform’s guidelines. Nintendo issued a follow-up statement noting that it requires developers to ensure their games meet guidelines to be rated in any region in which it releases, but does not dictate how developers go about meeting those guidelines.
Nintendo has content guidelines. Our game didn’t meet those guidelines, so we made changes that would allow us to release on their platform. That’s what happened here.
Dispatch features scenes of both male and female nudity, as well as rude gestures such as flipping the middle finger. All of these instances are censored with black boxes over the mature content, and in some cases, NSFW audio is also muted in certain scenes. The Dispatch art book is also censored on the Nintendo eShop, with characters covering up more skin than on the PC and PS5 versions of the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Dispatch‘s censorship features are a toggleable option in the PC and PS5 versions of the game, but not the Switch version.
Dispatch’s Censored Switch Edition is Likely Due to CERO Requirements
A major part of the controversy surrounding Dispatch‘s censorship on Switch comes from the fact that the Nintendo eShop features far more risque games that are not censored to the same degree as Dispatch. This disparity has led some Nintendo fans to theorize that AdHoc had decided to use the CERO version of the game, which was already censored to comply with the Japanese rating board’s guidelines, and simply release it as the international version of the Switch game rather than creating two separate ports. AdHoc hasn’t commented on this theory, but it would explain why there was some confusion between the developer and Nintendo.
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How Dispatch’s Censorship Unintentionally Makes the Game Funnier
Playing Dispatch with its mature content censored is definitely the inferior way to experience, but it creates a different type of Dispatch playthrough that is entertaining in its own way. The main reason Dispatch‘s censorship is so funny is that it doesn’t attempt to cleverly hide any of the adult content with its censors. Rather than redrawing scenes to add clothes to characters or discreetly hiding NSFW material with the framing of the camera, the game simply puts black bars and boxes over the censor-worthy scenes.
For instance, it’s kind of hilarious to see the scene in Dispatch Episode 2 where Invisigal attempts to stop Lightningstruck from robbing Granny’s Donuts, ending with Granny lying knocked out on the floor with a large black bar covering his backside. Another instance of unintentionally funny censorship comes from the first time Robert encounters Toxic, where his nudity is covered by a black box that takes some of the air out of the comments Robert makes about his lack of clothes.
The most surreal censored scene is at the start of Dispatch Episode 4, where Invisigal’s dream has some of the audio bleeped out in addition to nudity censored by black bars. The combination of well-timed bleeps and black censor bars everywhere almost makes it hilariously incomprehensible to follow, but the implication of what is happening is still there. It’s such an absurd way to present this scene that one can’t help but laugh, even if the censorship does detract from the overall Dispatch experience. AdHoc claims it is working with Nintendo to address at least some of the censored content on the Switch version, but for players willing to sit through the game’s content with its current censorship, there is still some degree of enjoyment to be had in the sheer absurdity of the censors.
- Released
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October 22, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Crude Humor, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
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AdHoc Studio
- Publisher(s)
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AdHoc Studio
