July 14, 2025, 1:32 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Using pre-owned games might lead to Nintendo suspending your user account. There’s a clear reason for this.
Nintendo has long been one of the largest producers of video games and related hardware. With consoles and brands like the Nintendo Switch and “Super Mario,” the company has celebrated major successes for decades. To ensure this continues, Nintendo has always taken a strict stance against piracy. Sometimes, the consensus is that they go too far, such as when harmless fan projects are shut down. Now, Nintendo has even suspended a user account, despite the individual not doing anything wrong.
Nintendo Suspended User Account Over Pre-Owned Game
That’s what a user reported on the Reddit platform. According to the user, they had previously purchased four pre-owned games for the Switch 1 on the Facebook Marketplace and wanted to use them on the new Switch 2. After downloading some patches, the user found the next day that access to online services was suddenly missing because Nintendo had suspended the user account.
According to their own statements, they then contacted Nintendo’s support and explained the situation. The problem was quickly and easily resolved, and the user was able to use their Switch 2 as usual again. But why did Nintendo suspend the user account in the first place?
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Nintendo Suspended User Account Due to Duplicate ID
The sale and purchase of pre-owned games are completely legal. Therefore, this shouldn’t be the reason why Nintendo suddenly suspended a user account. It’s more likely that the previous owner of the pre-owned games didn’t always act in accordance with the rules.
The reason could be a so-called MIG Switch. This refers to a flash card on which users can load multiple games simultaneously—both legally purchased and illegal ones. Naturally, Nintendo wants to prevent the use and distribution of the latter as much as possible. The company can uniquely identify each game module. As reported by sources such as “4P,” Nintendo immediately suspends the user account if users attempt to start games from the MIG Switch on the Switch 2.
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If a previous owner of a game, for example, loaded it onto a MIG Switch or used it in another illicit manner, the manufacturer can see this because the same ID number appears in two places simultaneously.
Solution Quickly Found
In such cases, the system assumes piracy, which can lead to Nintendo suspending a user account. It’s frustrating that this process can also affect innocent users. According to the Reddit user, it was sufficient to submit photos of the game cards and the purchase history on Facebook to have the account reinstated. The purchase of pre-owned games is legal. However, fans can never be sure what the previous owner did with the respective copy of the game.