Switch 2 Jailbreakers Are Buying Civilization VII Cartridges

eBay prices have risen over 500%

Civilization 7 Switch 2 Civswitch Jailbreak

News

By RC Staff

13 November 2026

Key Points

Civilization VII for Switch launched at $59.99, and used copies averaged about $12 before the exploit
Copies now sell by the dozen daily on eBay for $40 to $50, with early sales reaching $100
The exploit does not allow a full jailbreak, but it’s a major step towards one that only works with physical copies

Nearly two years after launch, the Switch port of Civilization VII was the kind of game you find gathering dust in a used bin or marked for clearance at Walmart. Then a well-known console hacker figured out how to use it as a way into the Switch 2, and suddenly Civ 7 is the hottest game on the market. With 2K reportedly pulling the cartridge from retail shelves, the remaining supply is whatever is already sitting in closets, pawn shops, and trade-in bins.

CivSwitch Exploit Explained

The exploit is called CivSwitch, and it comes from Gezine, a hacker who has been busy in both the PlayStation and Nintendo scenes this year. According to Kotaku, CivSwitch abuses the game’s multiplayer chat to run code fed in from a connected USB device, such as a phone. Coverage from Twisted Voxel describes it as a cross-site scripting bug in that chat feature, which the hacker turns into a way to launch homebrew software.

The catch is that it only works under very specific conditions. You need the physical cartridge of the original Switch edition running version 1.0.0, played on a Switch 2 through backward compatibility. The digital version does nothing, and the toolchain only supports console firmware up to 23.0.1. The original Switch is supported too, but the Switch 2 is the real prize here.

CivSwitch gives users “userland” access, meaning they can run homebrew apps, tinker with saves, and mod games. It does not hand over full control of the console, and it can’t be used to play dumped Switch 2 games. For the hacking community, though, an entry point like this is a valuable wedge, and the Switch 2 scene has been moving fast. Hobbyist hackers and jailbreakers are seeking out available cartridges while they can in case they’re needed for a full jailbreak.

If this sounds familiar, it should. Back in January, we covered PS5 jailbreakers hunting for physical PS4 copies of Star Wars: Racer Revenge, which Gezine said were required for a newly published exploit. That game was a 2019 Limited Run Games release with only 8,500 copies, and it still trades for over $200 today.

Civilization VII is a different animal. This was a mass-market 2K release stocked at every major retailer, so there are far more cartridges out in the wild. That supply is why Civ VII has settled at a fraction of Racer Revenge’s price. The pattern is the same, but the ceiling is lower.

Civilization VII Cartridges Resell on eBay

Before the exploit, this game moved a few copies a month on eBay for around $12. Since CivSwitch went public on November 1, it has been moving dozens of copies a day in the $40 to $50 range. In the first rush, some copies sold for as much as $100.

Retail is no longer an option. Customers who ordered physical copies from Amazon and GameStop report that their orders are being canceled, and one Amazon cancellation notice shared on Reddit cited “technical and security-related requirements.” Some buyers were offered the Switch 2 Edition instead, but that version ships as a code in a box and doesn’t work with the exploit. 2K hasn’t publicly commented, and nobody has confirmed whether Nintendo pushed for the recall. For now, used copies from third-party sellers are the only way to get an unpatched cartridge.

Bottom Line

The play here is sourcing locally. Check used game shelves at GameStop and independent stores, pawn shops, and local marketplace listings, where sellers may not know what they have. A copy sold for $45 nets about $38.88 after eBay’s 13.6% fee, before shipping. If you can find one for $12 to $20, there’s a solid margin. Buying on eBay at current prices to relist is a much thinner bet.

Be accurate in your listings. Buyers want version 1.0.0 specifically, and a cartridge that doesn’t match its description is a return under eBay’s Money Back Guarantee.

If CivSwitch leads to a full Switch 2 jailbreak, demand for these cartridges could climb the way Racer Revenge did. This is a speculative flip, so keep your buy-in low and sell into the hype rather than holding for a jailbreak that may never come.