Nintendo Switch 2’s GameChat will require a phone number when setting up the feature.
Nintendo’s video calling software comes baked into all Nintendo Switch 2 consoles and is being promoted as a key feature of the new system.
But it’s worth being aware that anyone wanting to set up GameChat will need to verify their identity first by providing Nintendo with a phone number (or if you’ve already linked it, the number already associated with your Nintendo Account).
Nintendo will then send that number a text message, tying your GameChat activity to that phone number. So behave!
If you’re under the age of 16, GameChat will be blocked until a parent or guardian using the Parental Controls smart device app allows the use of the feature. They will then be required to add their own phone number for text message verification.
Nintendo’s website, upon which Eurogamer spotted the above information, appears to suggest that every user with a Nintendo Account will need to do this when playing on a Switch 2, even if the device is shared. IGN has contacted Nintendo for confirmation of this.
GameChat can be accessed at any point while playing Switch 2 by pressing the console’s new ‘C’ button found on its various controllers. This will then allow up to four people to video chat together, or 24 to join a group audio call.
Within a video call, players can broadcast themselves using a camera peripheral (sold separately), as well as stream whatever they’re currently playing. It’s the first time the family-friendly Nintendo has offered this kind of service, after previously lagging behind other console makers with online services in the past.
Last week, the tech experts at Digital Foundry revealed the final specs for Nintendo Switch 2, and with it claimed that the GameChat feature has a “significant impact” on system resources to the point where developers are said to be concerned.
Digital Foundry said Nintendo provides developers with a GameChat testing tool that simulates API latency and L3 cache misses that the real world GameChat system incurs on the system. This means developers can test this without needing active GameChat sessions running.
DF was left wondering whether game performance for the end user is impacted by having GameChat on or off. If GameChat resources are within the system allocation, it shouldn’t make any difference. However, given Nintendo provides GameChat emulation tools, the suggestion is there is a hit of some description that developers need to test for.
As Digital Foundry put it: “We’ll be interested to see how GameChat may (or may not) impact game performance as this does seem to be an area of developer concern.” We won’t know for sure until Switch 2 comes out on June 5.
As (another) reminder, GameChat will be free to use for the Switch 2’s first 10 months’ on sale. After March 31, 2026, GameChat will then require a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Earlier this week, we got our first proper look at a Switch 2 game cartridge, and also heard word that Samsung was reportedly keen to provide OLED screens for a Switch 2 upgrade.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
