Nintendo’s GameShare will let you play with friends using just one game copy

Even if you only own one copy of a game, you and your friends can all get in on the fun together using GameShare, which was shown as part of the April 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.

This appears to run similarly to the “Download Play” option for the Nintendo DS. For example, one person may own a copy of Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, but using the new GameShare option, your friends can jump in and join you to play, even if they don’t own it.

This feature will only work with select games, but the stream did show off a few confirmed titles — including Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, Super Mario Odyssey, and the aforementioned Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain.

The stream also noted that there will be Nintendo Switch 2 games that use this feature, though none were announced yet.

The GameShare feature makes sense, as Nintendo recently also announced the ability to loan your buddies your games using Virtual Game Cards. In an era of shared Netflix passwords and Steam Family groups, Nintendo understands that not everyone can afford to buy every great title on the market — and that’s what I appreciates about them.