As if it didn’t hurt enough that Red Dead Redemption is getting a physical release on the PlayStation 5, it appears the game is actually getting two separate releases, one for Sony’s flagship console, which we already reported on earlier today, and another for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Prolific leaker billbil_kun of Dealabs confirmed both for a May 7, 2026, release, with each one priced at approximately €34.99. However, some European listings show it as low as €32.90.
With that said, the Nintendo Switch 2 physical release is more of a formality than an actual physical release. It is what the industry calls a “code-in-box” release. You buy the box, and inside, there is no cartridge. All you get is a piece of paper with a download code printed on it. You then redeem the code on the Nintendo eShop so you can download it. The physical packaging is absolutely real. There just isn’t a cartridge or disc inside. You are essentially buying a digital copy with extra cardboard.
It is a Nintendo industry-wide practice that has become increasingly common on Switch 2, particularly for third-party ports and re-releases. Cartridge manufacturing has real costs, and for games that are not expected to move massive units, publishers often opt for code-in-box editions to maintain a retail presence without paying for physical media production.
For Red Dead Redemption specifically, the Switch 2 code-in-box edition is a compromise that defeats much of the purpose of a physical release. You can’t delist discs, revoke them, or render them inaccessible when the servers shut down. Download codes can. If Nintendo ever shuts down the Switch 2 eShop, or if the specific code redemption servers go offline, a code-in-box copy becomes a fancy piece of cardboard with a useless string of characters printed on it. The physical packaging exists. The game does not.
The PS5 edition sidesteps all of this by being a real disc. Insert it, install the game, play it. The disc is the license. If PlayStation Network went offline tomorrow, the disc version would still work.
All of this, of course, doesn’t discount the fact that this is the nth time that Rockstar has deliberately ignored one of the best-reviewed and best-selling games of all time in Red Dead Redemption 2.
When Rockstar will finally give Arthur Morgan his next-gen flowers is something that every Red Dead fan wants to know.
At the very least, though, a PS5 disc edition is coming for collectors who want a real physical copy, and a Switch 2 code-in-box edition is coming for players who prefer to buy at retail even if the actual game is digital.
