Sega confirms release date and details for Nintendo Switch 2 versions of Sonic X Shadow Generations and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S; both launch alongside Switch 2 console with caveats

We’re a little more than a month away from the heavily awaited (and heavily controversial) launch day of Nintendo’s new game console, the Nintendo Switch 2, and Sega’s got four amazing games lined up to launch with the console. Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut and Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army were already confirmed to be there on June 5th, 2025, alongside the Switch 2 console itself, but Sega have just confirmed that the Switch 2 versions of Sonic X Shadow Generations and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S will also be there that day, along with the Switch 1 version of Raidou Remastered. Pre-orders have already begun for each of these games in NA.

Sonic X Shadow Generations has been confirmed to have better resolution and framerates compared to the Switch 1 original, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S will have new modes based around the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse controls, making these exciting new ways to play in Nintendo’s hybrid ecosystem. Sadly, there are some major drawbacks that are sure to make these upgrades less of a no-brainer than they oughta be. For more on that, plus some pre-order trailers and links, check in below the break.

Both of these games stand to be absolutely amazing on Switch 2, but what’s giving fans pause is that the physical versions of all of these games, as you may have noticed above, are “Game Key-Cards” rather than straightforward physical game cards. So what is a Game Key-Card?

Essentially, these are Switch 2 game cards that have next to none of the game’s data contained on them, instead requiring you to download the entire game as if you had bought it digitally from the eShop. The game’s authentication key is contained on the game card, allowing you to download the game at no extra charge when inserted into your Switch 2 console, but requiring you to keep it inserted anytime you want to play the game after it’s downloaded. On the bright side, the authentication key will not be locked to any one console, so if you sell or lend your game key-card to someone else, they’ll still be able to redeem and download the game for themselves at no extra cost.

Even with that last detail to soften the deal, many are not happy about this development as it more or less defeats the purpose of going out of your way to buy a physical copy of a game, especially when downloading it from the eShop would be simpler if you were satisfied with a digital copy anyway. There’s also the sad reality that the eShop, like any digital service, will not be around forever and won’t always work the same way it does today, so these game key-cards will one day become useless hunks of plastic. After all, the eShop from the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS was already shut down just last year. So was the Xbox 360 marketplace. Even if it won’t be for another decade or two, the eShop for Switch 1 and 2 will one day be a distant memory and bring your Game Key-cards down with them.

The really consumer unfriendly issue here is that, unlike Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of games available on Switch 1, there is no possible upgrade feature for anyone who already owns the Switch 1 versions of these games. This isn’t an issue for Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, as there was never any Switch 1 port of Yakuza 0 to begin with. However, if you already own the Switch 1 versions of Sonic X Shadow Generations and/or Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, or if you were planning on getting the Switch 1 version of Raidou Remastered, then you’ll have to pay the full price for these all-new separate Switch 2 versions. This is a surprisingly baffling move, as Nintendo has allowed for simple Switch 2 Edition digital upgrades, available for a few of their own games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and their upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, where for the reduced price of $10-20 depending on the game, you can upgrade the digital or physical copy of the Switch 1 game you already own to have all the performance and content upgrades only available on Switch 2. Nintendo has also enabled third parties to take advantage of this feature, such as Marvelous, who offers the same upgrade path for their upcoming Switch 1 games Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. No reasons were given as of this writing for why Sega has decided against offering their own customers this kind of convenience.

To make matters worse, owners of Sonic X Shadow Generations and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 on Switch 1 will also not have their save data or DLC purchases carried over, so even if you were okay with paying full price for the Switch 2 games anyway, you’ll have to start the game from scratch and purchase the Switch 2 version’s DLC all over again. At least Sega is still offering the same pre-order bonuses they offered at no extra cost from the other versions of Sonic X Shadow Generations for anyone pre-ordering the Switch 2 version, including the Digital Deluxe Edition pack, which now includes the Sonic Movie 3 Tokyo bonus level, so that’s a positive.

EDIT: According to Sega Asia’s Sonic X Shadow Generations website, save data from the Switch 1 version actually can be carried over to the Switch 2 version, but not the other way around. Guess you won’t need to start over after all, at least for that game. Atlus have also confirmed Raidou Remastered will not support save data transfer whatsoever. No confirmation yet for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S.

If you don’t own the Switch 2 versions of either of these games, then this may be an easier pill to swallow for you. No judgement to you if you’re willing to look past any of these issues, regardless of your personal circumstances, as each of these games are still among Sega’s best in years anyway, but it’s tough to us to recommend any of them with all this in mind. Either way, we can tell you that pre-orders for each of these games are now available at Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Gamestop, and Video Games Plus. They’ll all be available for $49.99 USD too ($39.99 for Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S), not $79.99 like a certain plumber’s killer app racer, so at least there’s another positive.

So what do you think about this news? Will any of these drawbacks stop you from getting the Switch 2 versions of any of these games? Are you even getting a Switch 2 in the first place? Lets hear it in the comments below and, remember, you’ll get no judgement from us either way. I certainly want a Switch 2 myself, so I’m not about to throw those stones in my glass house.

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