For a standard base game NSP, at minimum exist:
| Format | Purpose | Key Difference from NSP | |--------|---------|--------------------------| | | eShop digital title | No cartridge-specific headers; stored as individual files on SD/NAND | | XCI | Game card (cartridge) image | Contains ROM-specific headers, often padded; can be dumped as a single raw image | | NSZ | Compressed NSP | Uses Zstandard compression; smaller size, not official Nintendo format |
: Moving digital titles between different storage devices. inside switch nsp
| NSP Type | NCAs Inside | Typical Contents | |----------|-------------|-------------------| | Base Game | Program + Control + Logo | Full game code + assets | | Update (Patch) | Patch (only) | Delta RomFS, updated ExeFS | | DLC | Data + Control | Additional content, no main executable | | Demo | Program (limited) + Control | Full code, restricted RomFS | | Metadata NSP | Control only | Icon updates, title info |
hactool --keyset=keys.txt game.nsp --outdir=extracted/ For a standard base game NSP, at minimum
Decrypting the Program NCA:
A read-only, hash-verified partition containing: hactool --keyset=keys
Output structure:
23 May 2025 — Categories: Action & adventure games, All Games, Puzzle & strategy games, Switch Games Tags: Free Games Posted by Romslab Comment( Romslab.com INSIDE Switch NSP + Update Download - Romsim
NSP files are essentially containers that hold all the necessary data for a game or application to run on the Nintendo Switch. They are similar in concept to other package file formats used on different platforms but are specifically designed for the Switch.
hactool --keyset=keys.txt --exefsdir=exefs/ --romfsdir=romfs/ program.nca