Nintendo Reverses Ban on Switch 2 Owner After Initial Suspension for Playing Used Switch 1 Games

Wow, so get this: there’s this guy, right? He’s got his shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 and somehow—well, somehow he gets banned by Nintendo. Like, seriously? All because he bought these used games? Apparently, they were from Facebook Marketplace, which sounds sketchy in itself, but hey, we’ve all been there looking for a good deal.

So he gets these four games. Used, but no matter—he probably thought he hit the jackpot. Plugs them into his Switch 2, and poof, they update just fine. But then, next day? Bam! He wakes up to this message that he’s banned from Nintendo’s online stuff. Can’t even download things he paid for. Bummer, huh?

Now, here’s where it gets wild. He reaches out to Nintendo Support, probably expecting a wild goose chase or something. Surprise, surprise—it’s actually fast and, dare I say, painless? He talks to an actual human (which is a victory on its own these days), shows them proof of his purchases with pics from the Facebook listing, and voilà! They clear it up. Easy peasy, like way more chill than dealing with Microsoft or Sony, at least according to him.

But here’s the kicker—this isn’t a done deal for everyone who gets banned like this. Others chimed in, warning it’s not always a smooth ride back to internet bliss if you get banned for “pirated games.” Nintendo doesn’t mess around with their rules—I mean, yeah, they’re super protective of what’s theirs. Mig Flash users, even those messing around with their own ROMs, get the same hammer. It doesn’t turn your console into a fancy doorstop, but still, no online access pretty much clips its wings.

And honestly, this whole second-hand market? It’s a minefield. You think you’re buying a good ol’ game, but the sneaky seller might’ve cloned it onto another card. So, even if you’ve got the legit original, Nintendo can see both copies and it’s like, “Gotcha!” Snap—your console’s banned.

One small mercy, I guess, is Nintendo’s ready to play nice if you’re genuinely tricked. They might just un-ban you if you can prove it. But, hey, does that mean those sketchy used cartridges are cool to use now? Or are they still a ticking time bomb for another ban?

Anyway, follow Tom’s Hardware and all that jazz for more gaming drama and spicy insights.