Shift Up is doing away with the controversial game key card: The entire game fits on a 32-GB cartridge.
Stellar Blade for the Switch 2 will be released in both digital and physical formats. Developer Shift Up has now confirmed that the game can be played entirely from the cartridge without requiring any additional downloads. Players who still prefer physical copies today are likely to be pleased with this move by Shift Up.
Stellar Blade fits entirely on the cartridge
In a blog post, Shift Up confirms that the Switch 2 version of Stellar Blade will be shipped on a 32-GB cartridge and will contain the complete game. The developers also explain in their post why they decided to take this step: “We also know how important physical media is, which is why we’ve made sure that ‘Stellar Blade’ is released 100 percent on cartridge!”
This should be welcome news for many collectors of physical games. With Switch 2 releases, publishers and developers are now increasingly relying on so-called game key cards. These cards do not contain the full game. Instead, the game must be downloaded from the internet, while the card is required to launch the game.
The expansions are included, too
However, the cartridge will not only contain the main game but also all previously released additional content. This includes, among other things, the collaborations with *Goddess of Victory: Nikke* and *NieR: Automata*. To coincide with the Switch 2 release, four new Bayonetta costumes for Eve are also set to be released. These include outfits from Bayonetta, Nun, and Jeanne, as well as a fourth costume that remains a mystery for now. The bonus costumes will also be released as a free update for the PC and PlayStation 5 versions of Stellar Blade.
Stellar Blade for Nintendo Switch 2 and the new Bayonetta bonus costumes are scheduled for release on November 5, 2026. With the decision to release the full game on a cartridge, Shift Up demonstrates that not all developers and publishers are ready to move away from traditional physical releases.
