https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-account-bans-continue-content-creator-with-over-a-million-subs-issues-warning-after-buying-an-old-copy-of-bayo-3-on-ebay [] Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Close menu Tom's Hardware [ ] Search Search Tom's Hardware [ ] RSS US Edition flag of US flag of UK UK flag of US US flag of Australia Australia flag of Canada Canada * * Best Picks * CPUs * GPUs * SSDs * News * 3D Printers * Coupons * More + Newsletter + Reviews + PC Components + PC Building + Motherboards + Cases + Cooling + Power Supplies + RAM + Desktops + Laptops + Peripherals + Monitors + Windows 11 + Gaming + Overclocking + About Us Forums Trending * Prime Day Deals * Industry News * Where to Buy Switch 2 * MI350X and MI355X AI GPUs * Where to Buy RTX 5060 * Nvidia NVLink Fusion * Switch 2 Don't miss these A Nintendo Switch 2 console next to its box Nintendo After just 12 days, Nintendo is already nuking Switch 2 consoles for players caught using Mig Flash Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World Nintendo Switch 2 account ban saga continues as Redditor taunts Nintendo after ripping 20 cartridges and playing online A Nintendo Switch 2 in standalone mode sitting next to the Joy-Con controller grip Handheld Gaming Nintendo faces government challenge over Switch 2 nuke powers NSW2U website seized by the FBI Handheld Gaming Nintendo Switch pirates sunk by the FBI as they seize the site for hosting pirated games Nintendo Switch 2 box Handheld Gaming New Nintendo Switch 2 units show potential signs of tampering Nintendo switch 2 package Nintendo Mig Flash V2 shown working on Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Handheld Gaming Hackers discover exploit on Nintendo Switch 2 two days after launch 1. Video Games 2. Console Gaming 3. Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 account bans continue -- Content creator with over a million subs issues warning after buying an old copy of Bayo 3 on eBay News By Mark Tyson published 15 July 2025 Snazzy Labs' Quinn Nelson has fallen foul of Nintendo's aggressive anti-piracy measures * * * * * * * Comments (9) When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. A Nintendo Switch 2 in standalone mode sitting next to the Joy-Con controller grip (Image credit: Jeffrey Kampman/Tom's Hardware) A Switch 2 owner has had their console "restricted by Nintendo" after installing a Switch game they bought on the used market. Quinn Nelson, the creator behind popular YouTube channel Snazzy Labs, fell foul to the long arm of Nintendo law, and now assumes the "old copy of Bayo 3 on eBay" they bought must have been dumped/ripped by its previous owner and got flagged by big N's anti-piracy servers. PSA: be EXTREMELY careful buying used Nintendo Switch games. Bought an old copy of Bayo 3 on eBay and WELP, my 1-month-old $450 Switch 2 is BANNED.This cart must have been dumped by whoever owned it before me.Hoping Nintendo will understand/unlock for me, else, this SUCKS! pic.twitter.com/ev0VXNVQU6July 15, 2025 Nelson kindly posted the above warning as a PSA (public service announcement) for other Switch 2 owners who may be considering building their game library via the used market. "Be EXTREMELY careful buying used Nintendo Switch games," they stress. Nintendo's action, represented by the screen, doesn't just disable access to the possibly duped and redistributed copy of Bayo 3. All access to Nintendo's online services have been cut off. "The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo" The above foreboding message effectively signals a ban on the particular console from online services operated by Nintendo. The move isn't tied to the user account, but Nelson's "1-month-old $450 Switch 2 is BANNED" from a lot of the online fun available. To be clear, if this happens to you, the physical cartridges that you own will remain playable, without updates, and some previously downloaded digital games may remain accessible. Don't miss these * Tech Deals cover featuring a Zotac RTX 5090 Graphics Card This RTX 5090 is cheaper than anything we saw on Prime Day and isn't even discounted -- grab Zotac's triple fan beast for just $2,499 * Best Graphics Card Deals Best gaming graphics card deals 2025 -- deals on cheap Nvidia, AMD, and Intel gaming GPUs * Best Gaming Laptop Deals Best gaming laptop deals -- deals on Dell, Alienware, MSI, ROG, and others Other social media users were quick to reassure Nelson of two things. Firstly, hardware bans received for using second-hand game carts that have been cloned by tools like MIG Flash are not uncommon. And, probably more importantly, Nintendo is receptive to owners who can provide corroborating evidence that they are innocent of Nintendo-flavored piracy. We reported on exactly such a case, only last week, with a happy ending for the innocent Facebook Marketplace-sourced used-game buyer. All that seems to be required to iron out this digital wrinkle is some online correspondence with Nintendo and some kind of paper trail (or screenshots) showing that the offending game cart was bought used without any awareness of bad provenance. Nelson has publicly dabbled in MIG Flash game dumping Not all social media responses to Nelson's situation were supportive, though - this is X in 2025., afterall A particular point was raised by Centro LEAKS, a Pokemon leaks, rumors and news site, which highlighted Nelson's previous posts, one mentioning that he intended to run "my MIG Flash game dumps" on the Switch 2. Hope my Switch 2 continues to work with my MIG Flash game dumps. This is the best way to carry all of your physical games all at once without risking a ban on an unmodded console. pic.twitter.com/dTl711noeJApril 5, 2025 Nelson clarified in that referenced Tweet that he used the flash cart to vastly improve the portability of a large game collection. Moreover, he informed commentators and critics at the time that "You get banned if you play pirated copies. Not your own," implying he doesn't think the ban is related to this activity. Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Taking Nelson's claims at face value, let's hope they get their Switch 2 back online shortly. Having an almost new console restricted and locked down like this, while being innocent of any piracy, would definitely not be fair. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. TOPICS Nintendo flash See all comments (9) Mark Tyson Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. 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Reply * -Fran- If you ignore the red flag being waved in front of your face, then it's on you, sorry. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are all really annoying when it comes to the "kill switch". It's been like that for a while now, so let's not go all surprised-pikachu-face now with these shenanigans. Sure, love the games, but much like getting into some zealot/ religious cult: you either follow the rules or you get out before you get consumed/killed by it. Stop giving your money to Companies that treat you like trash. Come on. Regards. Reply * chaos215bar2 -Fran- said: If you ignore the red flag being waved in front of your face, then it's on you, sorry. The red flag saying "screw you, we might just ban you even if you buy a used game completely legally"? Yeah, I see it and the message is loud and clear. Don't buy Nintendo products! And also, maybe vote for politicians who actually care about consumer rights. How long do you think Nintendo will get away with this nonsense in the EU? Reply * bigdragon It's not acceptable to buy a brand new gaming console and then have to beg the company that made it to let you use it because you decided to run a secondhand/used game on it. Nintendo should not be allowed to operate in a "guilty until proven innocent" manner. Reply * Elusive Ruse No sympathy for Nintendo buyers. Reply * -Fran- chaos215bar2 said: The red flag saying "screw you, we might just ban you even if you buy a used game completely legally"? Yeah, I see it and the message is loud and clear. Don't buy Nintendo products! And also, maybe vote for politicians who actually care about consumer rights. How long do you think Nintendo will get away with this nonsense in the EU? The Stop Killing Games initiative is the start point, for sure. We all have to collectivelly keep an eye out and hope the EU does right by the consumer. Regards. Reply * hotaru251 there is like...2 games exclusive to switch 2 atm....and they arent worth the cost atm. (mario kart and DK) also I have feeling the more that these bans from using 3rd party bought games there will eventually become a lawsuit as its a draconian thing to do to ban innocent people and force them to have to prove they are innocent & take up their time for soemthing that isnt their fault. Reply * SenVetis So if you put these cartridges into a different switch 2, they both get bricked? So if I'm understanding this correctly, if person A installed a brand new cartridge, sold it online, person B installs it, we both get banned? Yet, if I swap a DS game, I can trade with my friend for a game I haven't played yet? Furthermore if my Switch 2 breaks with the original install data, I cannot use the same cartridge to reinstall that game to replace the broken switch 2 with a new one? If I did try to install it, I'd get banned, then need to beg Nintendo to allow me to use my console again? The account isn't tied to the game, but the roms are tied to the cartridges, while the DRM is tied to the console? Where does that leave the account, only tied to the console? This actively punishes physical games, and it's users. Online purchased titles wouldn't ever have this issue, unless Nintendo purposely took away Access to them. I guess they've legally found a loophole to openly entice users to "forget" about trying to be unbanned. Reply * jlake3 SenVetis said: So if you put these cartridges into a different switch 2, they both get bricked? So if I'm understanding this correctly, if person A installed a brand new cartridge, sold it online, person B installs it, we both get banned? Yet, if I swap a DS game, I can trade with my friend for a game I haven't played yet? Furthermore if my Switch 2 breaks with the original install data, I cannot use the same cartridge to reinstall that game to replace the broken switch 2 with a new one? If I did try to install it, I'd get banned, then need to beg Nintendo to allow me to use my console again? The account isn't tied to the game, but the roms are tied to the cartridges, while the DRM is tied to the console? Where does that leave the account, only tied to the console? This actively punishes physical games, and it's users. Online purchased titles wouldn't ever have this issue, unless Nintendo purposely took away Access to them. I guess they've legally found a loophole to openly entice users to "forget" about trying to be unbanned. Selling your cartridge and reinstalling your games should be fine. The issue is when a cartridge is cloned, and both the original and the cloned copy attempt to check in online using the same serial number at the same time. Nintendo's systems can't tell which is genuine and which is the dupe, but they know that this isn't supposed to be possible and flag the serial number as being compromised. The second and bigger issue is that dumping cartridges is apparently quite easy, and people are buying games, dumping them onto a flash cart, then flipping the original cartridge onto an unsuspecting victim, so this immediately swept up a bunch of average users and not just people who are downloading pirated ROMs onto flash cards. Reply * View All 9 Comments Show more comments Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. * Terms and conditions * Contact Future's experts * Privacy policy * Cookies policy * Accessibility Statement * Advertise with us * About us * Coupons * Careers (c) Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.