Digital s becoming the dominant form of video game purchases has long been a hot-button issue for preservationists and collectors, and now there's some good news for physical fans after another publisher has committed to loading the entirety of its games onto Game-Key Cards have been derided as an easy way for publishers to save money and deliver an inferior product – essentially a physical voucher for a digital game – and while the practice has been common, there are a couple of companies taking a refreshingly pro-consumer stance.

According to GameSpot, representatives from publisher Limited Run Games addressed Game-Key Cards at PAX East 2025. With a few exceptions, "nearly all of [Limited Run's] games will be 'true' physical releases and will contain the full game on the cartridge." The noted exceptions are those that are published in partnership with other companies (i.e. games not a part of LRG's numbered releases) which opt for either Game-Key Cards or don't load the entire game onto the cart, a common practice for games that often receive large day-one patches anyway.

Limited Run Games Will Put Full Games On Carts It Ships

No Required

Limited Run Games often publishes a comparatively small quantity of physical copies of games that would otherwise release in a digital-only format. Usually they are no more than the base game, but LRG has also been known to produce special editions, like DOOM's Will It Run Edition, which is playable on the box it comes in.

This stance from LRG isn't unexpected, since it aligns with the company's preservationist ethos. Limited Run Games originally set out to physically preserve the games developed by Mighty Rabbit Studios, which was the development house of LRG co-founder Josh Fairhurst. The publisher's efforts have since expanded well beyond that, even distributing non-numbered entries that aren't part of the company's core preservation efforts. Shipping a full game on its Switch 2 cartridge just makes sense if the goal is preservation, since it would theoretically be playable forever without any required s.

Limited Run Games s CD Projekt In irable Commitment To Physical Releases

It's Nice To See Publishers Prioritizing Something Over Profit

Game-Key Cards are likely to become popular methods of distribution simply because they're cheaper to manufacture, even if they offload a greater burden on the player. You cannot insert a Game-Key Card and play immediately; it acts as a key that also must be inserted into the Switch 2 to play its game. Alongside Limited Run Games, Cyberpunk 2077 publisher CD Projekt has committed to shipping its game's Switch 2 port entirely on the cart.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition comes fully loaded on its Switch 2 cartridge, an impressive feat for what is, on other platforms, a massive game in of storage space required. CD Projekt called it "the right thing to do," suggesting it's almost entirely a choice made to benefit players. While physical releases for major AAA games are still widely available, many don't contain the entirety of the game files, making it difficult for those who have slower internet connections. Limited Run Games and CD Projekt have made an irable commitment ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2's release to put consumer experience first.

Source: GameSpot