Skip to main content

Cloud saves will not be supported on all Switch titles

The Nintendo Switch’s paid online plan is set to launch later this month. The service touts a number of features, such as online multiplayer, access to retro games, and cloud storage. Sadly, that last feature will not be available on every game including some first-party titles. Users on the ResetEra forums discovered that the description for Splatoon 2, along with a number of other games including Pokémon Let’s Go and a handful of third-party titles, contained a warning that these titles would not support cloud saves.

Nintendo has offered an explanation for why certain games will not make use of online storage, but it is a disappointing one. In a statement released to Ars Technica, a Nintendo representative said that certain games were exempt from the cloud storage service in order to prevent players from cheating. 

Recommended Videos

“In certain games, this feature would make it possible to, for example, regain items that had been traded to other players, or revert to a higher online multiplayer ranking that had been lost,” Nintendo representative told Ars Technica.

Splatoon 2 also received a more specific explanation. In short, Nintendo feared that some players might use the cloud saves to manipulate the online rankings in order to make it easier to climb the rankings or undo losses.

Regardless of Nintendo’s reasoning, this decision is likely to be a frustrating one for many Switch owners. The Switch only provides 32GB of internal memory, so cloud saves could offer a way to alleviate the issues caused by the Switch’s smaller hard drive. Of course, the Switch also features SD card support so storage space has a fairly easy fix.

What is less easy to fix is the issue of backing up your Switch. Nintendo’s online cloud storage program is currently the only way to back up your Switch’s data. If you need to replace your system for whatever reason, the cloud is your only way of ensuring that your system’s data and game progress is backed up. It is possible to transfer the data from one system to another, but that won’t help you if your Switch is stolen or too damaged to turn on. This means that gamers run the risk of permanently losing their progress on certain games in the event that their Switch is damaged or lost.

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Pokémon’s Switch 2 upgrade is a massive evolution
A Spanish inspired landscape and castle from Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet.

When Nintendo revealed that select Switch games would be getting improved Switch 2 Editions, I couldn't help but notice one glaring omission: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Of all the major Nintendo franchises released on the Switch, that was the one I was begging to see get a massive performance boost on the Switch 2. None of the Pokémon games on Switch ran fantastically, but the ninth generation was seriously hindered by technical woes. I wanted to love the game, but an abysmal framerate, bland textures, and even crashes were enough to push me away from the game until it was in a more complete state.

We never got a comprehensive Switch patch, and instead of a full Switch 2 Edition, Nintendo only promised Scarlet and Violet would receive "enhanced visuals and smoother gameplay." Needless to say, my hopes weren't exactly high before trying it out for myself. After starting a new adventure on the Switch 2, it feels like Pokémon has finally reached its true potential and has reinvigorated my waning excitement for Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Read more
The Switch 2’s biggest game changer for old titles isn’t its performance boost
Link fights a Zonai in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Edition.

With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, I was initially focused on playing all the new Switch 2 launch games. Mario Kart World dominated my first day with the device, but I already had a list of original Switch games I wanted to return to on the newer hardware to see how they benefited from the improved hardware. Aside from the games with bespoke Switch 2 Editions, I was curious to see how big a difference the experience would be for these older games with improved stability and maybe a bit of a visual bump.

As impressed as I was with how much better nearly all my old titles ran on the Switch 2, it is an accessibility option absent from the Switch that turned out to be the biggest game changer.

Read more
Change these Switch 2 settings first
The Nintendo eShop appears on a Switch 2 screen.

Everyone who is just coming home with a brand new Nintendo Switch 2 will be racing to get the system open, transfer their Switch data, and jump into Mario Kart World or any other new title to start playing. We felt the same way, but there are a few bits of housekeeping to be done with every new console. It may not be the most glamorous thing, but diving into the Switch 2's settings now can make the rest of your time with the console far more enjoyable than if you put it off. There are a lot of settings to sift through, and most of them aren't ones you will need to ever touch, but we found the most essential Switch 2 settings you should change on day one.

Limit your battery charging

Read more