Switch 2 GameChat Will Require Phone Number For Security Purposes

Nintendo will need your phone number to use Switch 2 GameChat, the new social hub for the upcoming hybrid system. The company states that the mobile digits are an "additional security measure" for using the feature that provides online voice chat and sharing gameplay streams with friends.

Eurogamer spotted the small text on Nintendo's website detailing that text-message verification is a requirement for using GameChat on Switch 2. The company adds that the phone number associated with your Nintendo Account is utilized for this security check. For players younger than 16, a parent or guardian must enable GameChat functionality.

While the current Switch doesn't ask for a phone number for voice chat, a separate mobile device is still needed to talk with friends through the Nintendo Switch Online app. This will eventually get renamed to the Nintendo Switch app sometime this month and will be where you find Zelda Notes in the enhanced Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Earlier this month, a report pointed to GameChat including a couple of helpful accessibility features: text-to-chat speech functionality and live chat translation. However, both were showcased in Japanese, so it's unknown officially what languages may be supported on the upcoming system.

Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5 for $450, though preorders sold out almost immediately. That said, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser believes the company can meet demand for the console throughout the rest of this year.