Truth be told, physical games used to be pretty straightforward; you buy a copy, insert it into your console, and just start playing. Of course, as with many other things in the modern world, this does not work like that anymore, especially with the Nintendo Switch 2. The console supports Game-Key Cards, which require players to download the full game because they don’t have it included. What’s more interesting is that Nintendo is releasing a new physical edition of Pokemon Legends: Z-A called on October 29th, 2026, and it includes the base game as well as its Mega Dimension expansion on a single game card.
Generally, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a very good example of what physical releases should look like today, especially when it comes to RPGs. Additionally, this highlights a growing divide between publishers that put their games on physical media and those that essentially sell players a way to download them.
Story Expansions Deserve a Place on Physical Game Cards
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via The Pokemon Company -
Image via: Game Freak -
Image via: Game Freak
It goes without saying that story expansions can actually make a huge difference to an RPG because they sometimes introduce entirely new adventures that build up on the events of the original, and Mega Dimension does exactly that. It continues the story of Pokemon Legends: Z-A and allows players to embark on a new adventure that involves Hoopa and mysterious spatial distortions. Of course, players have to complete the main story before moving on to the expansion, but this may be exactly the reason why including DLC on physical game cards makes so much sense.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
After all, this is not just some optional collection of additional activities, and it adds actual content to the main storyline. And even though it’s true that not every DLC needs its own physical release, it makes sense that complete editions should contain all parts that have important context in common, because otherwise, players are spending money on a physical copy that leaves part of the adventure dependent on an entirely new download.
Game-Key Cards Are Changing What Physical Ownership Means
To be fair, Nintendo has been pretty clear about how Game-Key Cards work, and it’s no surprise that the cards don’t contain the full game data, so players need an internet connection and enough storage space to download the software. The card needs to be inserted to launch the game, but the software itself is stored on the console. Of course, this raises an interesting question about what people are actually buying because there’s a big difference between owning a physical copy and owning a card that allows you to download it.
Having the actual game data on the physical product is arguably way more reliable than counting on downloads.
Sure, you could say that they are both technically physical products, but the truth is that they don’t offer the same experience, and the new Pokemon Legends: Z-A edition demonstrates how publishers can still put both the game and its expansion on a single card. And to be honest, while Game-Key Cards are generally not such a bad idea, maybe they should not become the default.
Game-Key Cards Make Sharing and Preserving Games More Complicated
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Image via: Game Freak -
Image via: Game Freak -
Image via: Game Freak
Another unnecessarily complicated aspect of Game-Key Cards is that lending a game to a friend can easily turn into a whole thing. According to Nintendo, inserting one of these cards into another console for the first time requires downloading the game one more time, so whoever borrows it will have to make sure that they have access to an internet connection and enough storage before actually playing. Obviously, the same applies to buying a second-hand copy.
This can make collectors especially concerned. If Nintendo’s download servers eventually become unavailable, those who own a Game-Key Card but haven’t downloaded the game will no longer be able to play it. In any case, many players would agree that having the actual game data on the physical product is arguably way more reliable than counting on downloads in this case.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Encourage Publishers to Rethink Physical Releases
Of course, it’s important to note that Game-Key Cards are not completely useless, and they have their own place in the industry. Nintendo supports both formats, and it makes sense to allow publishers to choose between them. However, the new Pokemon Legends: Z-A edition is a great example of how publishers can actually give physical releases more attention instead of treating them like an afterthought.
Moreover, it would be interesting to see whether the new Pokemon Legends: Z-A edition will encourage other publishers to follow the same approach. After all, it is understandable that most publishers would prefer to invest in easier alternatives, but not having to choose between physical and digital games is definitely the option that grants the most freedom to players. Of course, there’s also the question of whether players would start paying attention to this when they’re choosing which games to buy. For example, if complete physical editions are not popular enough, then it makes sense why publishers aren’t very interested in producing them.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
