Topic: How to know if a physical game contains dlc?

Any easy way to determine if a physical game contains dlc?
Some physical games are released with dlc, some are not.

The problem is that when browsing the eshop, you can actually end up purchasing dlc, which you already have without knowing. The eshop does not tell you, if you already own this dlc for your physical cartridges.

Example given:
Darkest Dungeon. The physical game contains the dlc, but if you don't know that, you can still purchase them a second time from the eshop. It's just utter bull!"#¤ that the cart check when inserting the cartridge in your system, does not register this in some way.

Of course if you only own a few physical games, you can do some research and find out eventually, but if you, like me, have tons and tons of physical games, it's just way too time consuming and not a real option.

Am I missing something or are Nintendo just deliberately tricking us to pay twice, whenever the weekly sales are flashing in our faces?

Most physical games do not contain DLC unless they were late releases long after the digital launch, and long enough to allow DLC to release. Like Cuphead, for example.

I'd say any time you're considering buying DLC for a physical game you own just do a quick Google search to see what's included on cart.

Thanks for the tip. I guess the hard way is the only way

@Aneira Go here https://www.doesitplay.org/ and see if the game you are looking for have DLC on the cart/disc or if it is even playable fully from the physical media.

@Zuljaras
Thanks very much. This is super useful. Exactly what I was looking for 👍

It's always depressing reading to go down that list and see how few games are actually complete on cart.

Ah well, it makes me cherish the ones that are that bit more.

Some do list if they come with DLC included on packaging or DLC code in box nowadays. Prior to this unless their site for the Devs mention this was part of the game. And take BOTW re-release the included the DLC that was a PlayAsia version had this. So sometimes re-issuing of the games some update with DLC included.

Determining if a physical game includes DLC can be a bit tricky, but there are a few strategies to help. First, check the game's packaging; many times, it mentions if there are additional contents like DLC. Look for terms such as "Special Edition," "Deluxe Edition," or "Includes Bonus Content." Reading online reviews and game descriptions on reputable sites like https://www.vpesports.com/ can also offer insights. These sources often detail what's included in various editions of games. Additionally, publishers' and developers' websites sometimes list the contents of game editions, helping clarify what you're getting with your purchase.

For a more technical explanation, Switch games, their updates, and DLCs are distributed as data in packages. These are the Base application, the Update, and DLC packages.

The Base application is your v1.0 of the game, before any updates are applied. All game cards store this.
The Update package can be for any update that's been released, some but not all game cards will include update data, depending on when the game card was manufactured or the size of the flash chip they used in manufacturing.
The DLC package can be for any individual DLC that's available on the eShop, and can be bundled with game cards. Sometimes a DLC file is very small and only serves as an unlock key for content present in the base application or update data, other times the DLC actually includes the data necessary to play that content.

Note that some games might promote themselves as "including DLC", but might actually lack any DLC packages on the game card, or any available for purchase digitally.
This can be the case for games that were released on Switch later as compared to other platforms, and the game is sold as a complete package with the DLC baked into the base application.

The recent Return to Castlevania physical release of Dead Cells is a great example of bundled DLC, it does include all of the DLC packages on the game card.
So, if you have a digital version of Dead Cells and play the game with the game card inserted, you'll have access to the DLC content, but you will lose access to the DLC if you play without the game card and haven't purchased that DLC digitally.