A wave of Nintendo Switch 2 users have reported suddenly being banned from accessing the console's online services, and believe their use of the MIG Switch cartridge is the cause.
The MIG Switch is a flash cartridge that stores and plays copied Nintendo Switch 1 games — something Nintendo itself takes a dim view on, even as many users of the device claim they're just playing backups of their own legally-bought software.
But regardless of its purpose, the outcome for inserting a MIG Switch into your Switch 2 looks to be the same. Impacted users say they've begun receiving online bans on their Switch 2 consoles, blocking them from online play, the console's eShop and access to other Nintendo services. And now, they are hurriedly warning others of the consequences.
"My Switch 2 test has been banned, after using the MIG Switch with perfectly legal dumps of my own cartridges, so it would seem that Nintendo can detect something," one user wrote on social media, linking to a string of similar reports online.
"Similar reports on reddit are starting to come in. I strongly recommend that you do not use the MIG Switch, it was already very risky to use but it is even more so on Switch 2."
My Switch 2 test has been banned, after using the mig switch with perfectly legal dumps of my own cartridges, so it would seem that Nintendo can detect something
— SwitchTools (@SwitchTools) June 16, 2025
Similar reports on reddit are starting to come in.https://t.co/nbPMlRWSaPhttps://t.co/3eq6dkbFMi
I strongly… pic.twitter.com/btzjQYJzE4
On reddit, another user claimed they had only tried a MIG Switch in their Switch 2 console once, to play a legitimately backed up game they owned, before receiving Nintendo's online ban.
"I tried my MIG Switch in my NS2 once," the user wrote. "It didn't work. It just showed the game title and refused to load. It tried to download a title update for it and that was it. Maybe it downloaded a flag for the console to be banned? This was over a week ago this happened though. I've been playing with a legitimate cartridge ever since though."
Users with an online ban now see the following warning message pop up when trying to use any Switch 2 feature that requires internet connectivity: "Error Code: 2124-4508 The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo."
On YouTube, gaming emulation channel Scattered Brain has posted a video showing their now-banned Switch 2 console, and said that simply signing in to another Nintendo account on the device did not lift the ban, which seems to be applied at a console level.
This video shows banned Switch 2 consoles can still be played offline, so Nintendo has not chosen to completely disable, or 'brick', these consoles — for now at least.
Back in May, ahead of Switch 2's launch, Nintendo updated its Nintendo Account Agreement to make clear that any attempt to use "hardware or software that would cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate other than in accordance with its documentation and intended use" risked "the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device [becoming] permanently unusable in whole or in part."
In other words, this new ban wave does not come without warning — even if it is coming as a shock to some.
"My Nintendo Switch 2 has been console banned and I have absolutely no idea why!" one user wrote on reddit last night. When asked if they had used a MIG Switch, they replied: "I haven't been able to use the MIG Switch on my NS2, I just tried it out of curiosity."
IGN has contacted Nintendo for more.
Image credit: Scattered Brain.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
