Hi, I'm the one who posted that Reddit thread and started making that list. Thanks for the mention; it's always cool when you're noticed positively. :) Anyway, I wanted to make some comments. Not long after I started making my list, I was approached by another person who shared the same passion in gathering this data, and we joined forces. He already had a Google Spreadsheet, so at first we sychronised our information. Some time later he suggested making a Facebook group to better coordinate our efforts, and that's when the group "Nintendo Switch Cartridge Revisions" was born. The spreadsheet has even more data, like region and download size (when there's a patch available), so it has become the main work, while my list is only a distillation of it, with the sole difference that I keep track of all revisions, not just the last one. In the video, you mention differences on the back of the case to identify revisions. Back when starting out, we also attempted to identify them using the case, but we had to realise that, unfortunately, there's no way to tell. The packaging is completely independent from the revision that it contains. Any barcode or serial number changes relate to design or text changes of the insert. As you noted, it's mostly Nintendo that makes revisions. Third-party revisions are uncommon, and most that do exist are later prints by different publishers. For example, Blazing Chrome was originally released by Limited Run Games, but years later Pix'n Love released revision 001 that was more up-to-date. You also mention releases with included DLC. While my list doesn't yet make this clear (but the spreadsheet does), sometimes there are also different 'builds' of the games. They're different releases of the same game, with their own versioning/revisions. The Japanese-only release of The Legend of Zelda: A Breath of the Wild with the DLC, and the Pokémon Sword/Shield releases that include the Expansion Pass, are examples of this. That's why their revision number is 000. Different builds don't only get created for content reasons, though. Sometimes they exist solely because a different publisher released the game. An example of that is Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, first published by Limited Run Games, and later published by Numskull Games. How do you know if it's a different build? By the game ID. This is five-character identifier you can find on both sides of the cartridge. Thankfully, this one can also be seen the back of the box. Next to "Made in Japan", you can see a code. For The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it's "HAC P AAAAA USA". The "AAAAA" is the game ID. You'll see on the release with the DLC that it's AAAAG. Finally, a note about regions. Releases in Europe and North America have the same build and revision on the cartridge most of the time, even if they might not always have the same publisher. But that doesn't mean that every region gets every revision after the initial release. Revisions of popular games like Super Mario Galaxy and Pokémon Sword/Shield seem to be well distributed, but less popular games like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition aren't always so lucky. Revision 003 of the latter doesn't seem to exist in Europe (only up to 002), while it's not that rare in North America.

I’ve never seen anyone talk about this before. You earned yourself a subscriber

This is something I'd never considered, and as others have said, I don't believe anyone else is talking about this, on KZfaq at least. You just went and elevated the conversation around Switch collecting.

Was literally just thinking about this due to the issues Scarlet/Violet has been experiencing. If performance patches are ever released I definitely want a cart that includes them. Appreciate this video!

I have over 200 physical switch games and I thought about this on day one. unfortunatly, when you are wheeling and dealing, you can't allways get the latest and greates. so to preserve the games, I have back ups of the micro sd cards with all the dlc and patches on them. i have two in fact and every 6 or 8 months, i revise them and go through all my games one by one, maeking sure i have all the updates. in the future, when they shut the shops down, i will have allready had the patches and dlc downloaded and ready. then it is just a matter of transfering the data to new micro sd's and so on and so forth. lots of work, but worth it. this video is very helpful as I will now be keeping a better eye out for full dlc included carts. Thanks!

These types of videos are very interesting to me. Hearing about the little nuances in game collecting is great. I hope you continue with other videos along this same vein.

This was my favorite thing about the 'Nintendo Selects' revisions in the past. Thanks for covering this topic, I actually didn't know that any Switch games were getting revisions.

i have been trying to seek out "complete" editions of games as a priority for collecting. since learning of the cartridge revisions from your previous video, i feel like this is something i will take into account going forward. i sought out some greatest hits versions of PS2 games over their black labels for this very reason.

This is by far the most important info for us collectors. Thank you very much.

I don't 100% only collect physical copies, but a big portion of my Switch games are, so this is a lot of cool information that I didn't think about. Shout out to that Reddit post too that you found!

Love your video. There's few people that cares for revised cartridges, is nice to feel Im not the only one caring about this.

I feel like I’ve probably said this before, but wow there’s a lot more to this than I ever would have thought. Thanks for doing the research!

Another very interesting video Emily. I remember when Fangamer first released the physical version of Hollow Knight it came without the DLCs and then they released an edition that included all of them. The only way that you can tell the difference it was by looking one of the screenshots on the back of the case. It showed a different scene from the one that didn't have the DLCs.

I’m not a collector but this was very interesting to know about!

I came to the Switch late, so I ended up getting that Japanese reissue of Breath of the Wild with the Expansion Pass on the cart as my one and only copy of the game - one of the highlights of my collection to be sure. And just wonderful that it also has the English version of the game on the cart. However on the exact same day Nintendo also reissued Splatoon 2 with the Octo Expansion on the cart, but that release does not include English. So you have to remain vigilant 🧐

It’s nice when carts include patches and DLC! Reminds me of Animal Crossing New Leaf and how the Welcome Amiibo update was also released as a new game cart along with a digital update.

great tips. I haven't seen any fake switch carts yet, but its pretty prevalent in gba and gameboy collecting. so i can only imagine this information being helpful in more ways then one in the future!

This is why I love this channel. The information is always good. I stumbled upon your channel last week and or so and have watched a few videos and each one that I’ve seen have rocked.

Incredible coverage on a lesser-known but important detail with Switch games. Thank you so much!

Wow absolutely amazing! I had no idea. Thank you for making this video. Time to rethink my collecting for preservation!!

Really glad I found your channel the other week. Very relaxing and informative content. Keep it up!

Again with the information helpful videos! Yay! I love it and keep 'em coming! These are super unique too - you are becoming the go-to person for this stuff!!!

Thanks for sharing about the game card revision. I didn't know that before. Great content.

I just found your channel today, and I just wanted to say thank you, binged you videos today and it got me through most of my work day lol. I can't wait to see more

Awesome video! As a collector this is great to be aware of. Thank you algorithm for putting this in my suggested videos 👍

These videos have been very helpful! Didn't know most of this, thanks for putting them together.

Thank you for providing an excellent resource! I had been looking for something like the revision list for a while.

Altough I already knew this before watching the video. (Also know about the revision list on the internet) I really enjoyed this. I like the fact people are at least making other people aware of this. As a physical collector who owns all revised version of his games and the importance of preservation, and how digital is being forced on us, I find it baffling how few people are actually aware. I remember going to the store trying to find the revised version of Metroid dread, I asked the shopkeeper to look at the back of the cartridge of the used games they sold. They were flabbergasted. Thry did not know. Funny.. as when these servers for switch go down these revised copies will be worth a lot more. Just weird to think even shopkeepers don’t know about this.

a tip for anyone trying to future proof their collections is to go for DLC package editions of any game you get, this goes for PS4 games as well. Those will always be latest patch which usually has all major kinks ironed out. This also goes for the "game of the year" editions for PS4. Go for those instead of the day one ones. But hey it's pretty cool to have a first revision too and they rarely have any really serious issues (they were good enough to launch after all). Enjoy your games! :)

I put in 'mortal kombat 11' it was a broken unplayable mess. They didn't even fill the capacity of the cartridge. When nintendo chooses to cancel support for the switch, this game and thousands of others will become worthless plastic shelve ornaments.

One of the most useful videos I could find =D I'm not a collector, I only buy what I want to play but I'm really concerned about preservation. On PC I buy only digitally from Gog as it provides only DRM free games (and that allows to make as many working backup copies one likes), while on consoles, since backups are not an option, I buy physical copies. Alas, it's very hard to tell which games are updated and if they include DLCs, so thanks for the hints!

youre so awesome! just the video i was looking for. Thank you!

Sometimes I regret what the KZfaq algorithm recommends to me. This is not one of those times. This was a great video.

I freaking love your channel. You are so easy to listen to. Very informative content!

Thanks for the info, Em! You truly shine when you can flex those research muscles. Thanks for another great video!

Been looking forward to this video Emily as this is a very interesting and even important topic moving forward! With what you said and just seeing games being made post pandemic as opposed to pre (though some games still released broken pre pandemic lol) moving forward it would be nice if publishers / developers moving forward (for re-prints) actually do this, specially for us physical collectors. I mainly collect for Playstation, be it the 4/5 physically and it's cool knowing Nintendo does this but i am not sure if Sony does this, regardless, stellar work as always Emily! :)

A curious example is the "Eternal collection" edition of Diablo 3. The Switch version is the only one which has all the relevant content on its physical edition, in the case of PS4 the discs are just "Reaper of souls" edition discs with different art and an automatic update download including the last character added, which is not included on the disc. On the other hand, the "Collector's edition" of Darkest dungeon is the opposite. The Switch physical edition comes with the "Ancestral edition" cartridge with an automatic download, and is the PS4 version which really has all the content on the disc. There are even cases in which the same edition on the same platform can differ. The "Game of the year" edition of Dead cells for Switch has, actually, two versions. In one of them the "Rise of the giant" dlc is included via downloadable update and in the other it is just included on the cartridge.

yes, valuable infos, thank you! my first time seeing orbalology first impression I find you adorable in your nerdy caffeinated-seeming delivery

Awesome video! 😃👍

For BOTW they changed the cover colors slightly, I know because I bought another copy much later and after seeing them side to side then liked it better.

Great content, glad to see more folks talk about this! As someone with 500+ physical switch games in their collection, this has only made me realize how lazy some companies can be especially when there is a day one patch or they add content like it’s a “bonus” when it should have been included at launch (looking at you Nintendo with your Switch Sports, Strikers, Tennis & Golf titles). For preservation sake it would be nice if Nintendo offered an upgrade program so you can have the final cartridge when all is done with updates as Japan did with BOTW (even though glitches are still present)… then again it’s nice having a V1 cart to access those glitches. 😅

Nowadays I have to do research before I buy a physical copy since I’ve been burned before. For example, Doom Slayers Collection only comes with Doom 2016 on cart and the other games are digital codes. The $200 God of War Ragnarok Collector’s Edition only comes with a digital code for the game. This hurts the resale value and preservation of the game which is disappointing. You also brought up a good point on Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. I bought the double pack for collection but I wonder if I’m better off waiting for a patched cart that may help with performance/bugs. But you also wonder if first print games has more value or not. I don’t know. Game collecting gets so complicated sometimes

One super underrated feature of the switch is that you can download updates/patches by connecting with a switch that has them downloaded. Not only does this help people without access to internet, but it will also make preservation slightly easier as you can get updates after the servers go down by connecting with somebody locally who has the updates you want

Darn, this is a bit frustrating given that this is just another factor to take into consideration when buying physical copies. It takes a lot of time to research what editions are the definitive releases. Oh well, I'm glad that i was made aware of this by you BEFORE starting my Switch collection!

Great video! Good info for a physical game collector

@3:18 so lucky. I definitely have experience with the Nintendo revision mismatches as well. I have all sorts in my collection, boxes that are first print with revised carts inside, cartridges marked as revision but have the first print of the game inside the cart, and vice versa. All sorts of mismatches. It even happens in games I personally purchased when I was a little kid, definitely from Nintendo that way. It's usually a match, more than 99% of the time but I figure Nintendo carried stuff from the end of one print right into the start of another. Sounds like they are still practicing this to this very day haha.

I collect for PS1, PS2, PS4, PS5, N64, NES, SNES, Gamecube and the Switch. I really went full swing with the Switch and started collecting for it day one when the Switch launched in 2017. I have bought most of my games day one so I have the first edition of most games and the last time I counted, I have over 1,400 physical games for Switch..and that was this past February lol.

I don’t really get why we’ve all accepted Nintendo’s statement (for the 3ds/wiiu) “This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” It really is unacceptable. The switch is the first console you can go all digital on. So it’s not the normal lifecycle even with the 3ds/wiiu. Not to mention they are the retailer enjoying the retailer profits and not having to press and ship out as many games. Personally I think patches should be updatable forever, and we should accept nothing less as consumers.

I have some hope that unlike the Wii and DS is that Nintendo will keep the eShop as their main online store for the long-term (like Steam). I still seek physicals for lower storage, preservation, box art, etc!

Ohhh I’ve never heard of this before, that’s really interesting and I’ll be sure to keep it in mind in the future

FINALLY! someone on youtube finally mentions the Gato Roboto Sh*tshow. Thank you.

Very sweet channel

I started paying attention to this a few months ago. I love thr facebook group.

Good to know about Breath of the Wild - I still have my launch copy, but I might have to seek out a later revision that is patched. I really wish we'd get a full edition release that has the DLC content included on the cart, like that one Japanese release. Sadly, I suspect that will be a thing that will happen whenever the "Switch 2" happens, much like how we got Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Captain Toad re-release, or the updates for NSMBU, Super Mario 3D World, and other games coming from Wii U to Switch with enhancements and other content. I'll still buy it, but I'd sure like to have it sooner.

Glad someone is speaking on this. Subbed!

I know this is an older video but these Revisions have been around since the NES. The first two Zelda games had Rev-A versions of the cart. The non-Rev A versions are still very playable without the patches. SNES and N64 followed suit with patch updates, making the Player's Choice versions the ones with the least amount of bugs but usually, the OG carts work just as well. Ocarina of Time for the N64 is a great example but the Gold Cartridge 1.0 version is still the most sought out one, even if its the buggiest version of the game. The Red Blood and the chanting in the Fire Temple makes it the better version in my book. Nintendo games with patches aren't necessarily mandatory to get, unless there's an extreme amount of bugs, which are rare outside Scarlet/Violet (not a Pokemon fan but shame on you, GameFreak) or has game breaking bugs to it that you need (Link's Awakening with Marin or Metroid Dread's final boss) or has an update that came out on cart. Although, those bugs can be avoided pretty easily. I'm currently looking for the 001 cart for Link's Awakening myself just to have. I usually don't have much issues with pre-patched versions of Nintendo games like Skyward Sword on Wii. There's a game breaking bug that soft locks your game but I haven't encountered it in my 5 run playthroughs (never got the update at the time because I didn't have the internet). Also, Speedrunners will most likely look for those 000 versions in the future, as they need the bugs to do their glitch runs. They are good to keep a hold of as well. Tears of the Kingdom fans would also prefer the 000 version because of the item glitch that got patched with an update, which to me will remain the best version. Also, every Special Editions of games are 000 versions of the cartridges. They will be sought after because its a Special Edition. Nintendo really needs to do a Nintendo Player's Choice/Selects versions for Switch games already. They will have the most updated version. I wouldn't mind double-dipping for Link's Awakening and Metroid Dread for the latest patch cart. Breath of the Wild too if it came with the DLCs on cart. However, in the meantime, I will be picking up that Japanese Breath of the Wild complete version since Doug Bowser sucks (Miss you Reggie) and refused to bring it to the states, and keep it sealed until I need to actually open the case, since I already have the DLC for the Switch version downloaded. Thank gosh the Switch is not Region-locked and it has English Subs and VA.

i dont have that problem but its cool to know :) , cool video!

Too many people collect games nowadays and life is too short so just play them guys!

On a personal level, I'm not doing much in the way of game preservation other than using my Analogue Pocket to make save states. I do support the video game history foundation though. I feel like they have the right tools to really make sure this stuff lasts.

Great video as always!

Informative as always, thank you!

You are doing the good work for physical collectors I’m wondering if games from other consoles read the same

I didn't know you also collect alot of action games. Very nice. Do you play horror games? I took a long break5,6 years after the playstation 4 ,trying to play all the left over games from older consoles/handhelds, read the mangas, watch the films, that are stacking up in my room. I don't really have the urge to buy anymore stuff , hoarding is never on my mind, but end up buying them,because I'm afraid the prices will go up in the future , just like it did with "Lost in the rain - Hong Kong version" on the ps3 a few years ago. I enjoyed Deadly Premonition on the ps3/xbox360 and was eager to play part 2 on the Switch but not ready to collect for the handheld. I don't even own a switch. Maybe I should grab the game for now, and go back when I'm ready in the future? I don't know :(

Really wish Spyro trilogy got the treatment like the ps4 did. If you got the 2020-2021 disc its all on the disc no download required.

Just....wow!! you just blow my mind

Great video - Thanks for sharing :)

wow this is super informative. nice job

Good To Know my friend collects Physical and I well play them so I guess I have a knew thing to talk to him about.

I appreciate the info keep up the good work

I love ur content. This is great information. Also ur eyes are gorgeous.☺️

I just ordered a revision 4 copy of Metroid Dread. It's supposed to have Dread Mode difficulty and Boss Rush mode on the cartridge.

What a great topic and video !!! And yes I feel the worry about my games needing DLC, but when that support is gone will my carts be unplayable messes , revised carts are a MUST , LONG LIVE PHYSICAL MEDIA

Damn i had no idea about this ☠️ this is why you’re the 🐐 thx for the information

I found this video really informative thank u

I really like these videos always was courious about this stuff

Super helpful. Thank you!

Nice! I was wondering about it since I bought Zelda BOTW like 4 months ago. And the version is 1.6! I was very surprised.

Rivisions are definitely a weird thing to me since games are mostly fine at least. I usually appreciate them but don't actively seek them out. I am definitely a lot more interested in copies that have the DLC on cart though. Things like Streets of Rage 4 and that Pokemon Sw/Sh w/ Expansions on cart are super cool. Download codes definitely shy me away from games even if I do enjoy what is on the cart like the Resident Evil/DMC collections.

I pre-order Tetris Effect for NS from Limited Run on July (the digital version was already out), it arrived at the end of November and it still required an update 😵‍💫

Great video, gave me some good info👍 thanks.

Great research 👍🏽👍🏽 Appreciate the resource you found and shared and your insights. Makes me rethink my Switch collecting or how I want to collect moving forward. I’m now in crisis jk 😅 haha Keep the vids coming.

Very informative. Thanks 👍

thank you for the video

Interesting! I believe this only applies to North America.. in EU we still have the code number on the cartridge tho ;)

Thanks for this!

Older video gamers used to buy every game on physical media only. But the younger generations buying their video games digital only is what they are used to. And the internet connection speeds these days make it easier for digital download to be the primary way to buy video games. Sony PlayStation, Nintendo and Microsoft Xbox prefer video gamers to buy games via digital download. Because they make more profit from digital download game sales versus physical media games sales. Digital download is so convenient these days for most video gamers. That buying video games this way is here to stay. At some point in time the days of physical media release video games will cease to exist. As a middle-aged video gamer myself in my mid 50s I hate that this is the future for video games. I just hope we never go fully cloud based video gaming. As video gamers will be entirely relying upon game servers and the internet. And if one or the other were to become faulty video gamers won't be able to play video games. Internet technology is getting better each passing year, but I still don't want to be totally reliant on it. As a longtime DVD film/ TV series buyer. I am already seeing less titles available on DVD to buy. And some film and TV content now don't even get a DVD release. I have currently 3 working DVD players but at some point they will stop working. Then what I have a large collection of shiny drinks coasters. Unfortunately physical media is going the way of VHS/Betamax, Compact cassette. Into obsolescence with each passing year.

I wish I didn't know about that, especially with how sometimes certain games go out of stock so fast for the Switch... oh well, I will try not to subject myself to more FOMO than I already have with Switch collecting...

After seeing the video about video game preservations, especially the physical media, do I regret buying games in day one where the number is “000”? For example I have Pokémon Scarlet that has “000” which is outdated base patch, now that they’re version is 1.2.0. I mainly play Pokémon especially for online competitive battles, and events too etc. I’m starting to think I should wait instead of buying it on day one?

I had been thinking about this since I watched a video about Immortals Fenyx Rising from Switchup that talked about it being a lot better after patches and wanting those patches on cart. I might end up trying to upgrade to more patched cart versions of games I own. I worry a lot about the fate of my games after support for them ends. Most recently I've been thinking about what will happen with portable play when support for joycons ends and drift continues.

a few months ago I got Mario Party Superstars and it already had the latest patch (which came out in March of this year I think)

thank you that was very informative

I havent played any video games since my ps2. I just got myself a PS4 on a whim, it was cheap, $100, I went to the game store and asked them for the best cheap used ps4 game and they handed me something that blew me away, Ghost of Tsushima. Im almost at a loss for words. Nintendo was always my favorite as a kid. I never got to play any Zelda games after A Link to the Past, im looking forward to either picking up a N64 or download the 2 Zelda games on there… unless there are better versions/releases of Ocarina of Time + Majora’s Mask I should play instead? Im pretty sure there was a handheld version of Ocarina?

Great video 😊

Cool info, cool video! *goes off to check all the switch game carts* Wow, all the carts I have ends with zeroes.

And that's why I'm never so desperate to play the first version of a game. I plan to play them not sell them.

I really think we need pro-consumer legislation for end-of-life consoles. Like at least for patches, if not also DLC or downloadable titles. Companies should be forced to either host downloads indefinitely for those patches or allow an external company free access to host those files. If not, game companies like Nintendo will take advantage of people being unable to access games that they already bought once, and sell them the games again, as they have been doing with Virtual Console or re-releases like Mario All-Stars. You might argue that it costs Nintendo money to host these files, but A: the cost will decrease over time as storage and data transfer continues to come down in price, and downloads become less frequent, and B: Nintendo and others are actively taking advantage of the extra profits that software-only games make them, and they're also using the "release now, fix later" approach to internally justify unrealistic development timescales and unfinished games. Given these dividends Nintendo is receiving, it's only fair that consumers should be protected in the long term. It should not be on dedicated fans to spend *more* money on carts that contain actually complete games to prop up Nintendo's legacy in the future.

Maybe the number on the back of the cart could also reference the taste revision of the cart. 😀

Great video and thanks for the info Emily 🙂 Now excuse me while I go individually check all 400 of my switch carts 😅

Great video

The only thing i really care about is games being released on cart that are 'broken' and won't run or that will stumble into problems without the internet. I think this is the main issue for me. If I knew that Origami King was broken and will need a patch, I would have never bothered getting the cart in the first place. I like to get carts that run and don't need the internet at all, hence why something like Metroid Prime Remastered is worth its weight in gold. Also, unfortuntely there are games being released which aren't 'complete' without the internet - like Bioshock. Then there is the issue that Switch carts are not built to be the most durable. They will certainly not last as long as SNES games - all you need to do is hold a cart and shake it to realise that. Today's gaming sucks a lot.