Nintendo is adding a physical twist to the DK Challenge, the limited-time event for Nintendo Switch Online members on Switch 2. Players who complete every mission in the challenge before it ends can claim a collectible 39-card set based on Donkey Kong, according to the announcement on My Nintendo.
The reward is a physical 39-card set with a custom card case, and no My Nintendo Platinum Points are required to redeem it. The cards split into two groups: 24 designs feature challenges from Donkey Kong Bananza, while the remaining 15 cover retro challenges found in select Nintendo Classics titles. Each card measures 2.5 by 3.5 inches, and the entire set is available only to eligible players in the United States.
To qualify, members must finish the DK Challenge by September 1 at 12:59 a.m. PT. Those who complete every challenge are notified in early October through a My Nintendo news article with instructions on how to claim the reward. The deadline lines up with the event itself, which runs for active Nintendo Switch Online subscribers on Switch 2 until the same September 1 cutoff.
The DK Challenge asks players to earn digital Challenge Cards by completing tasks across the Donkey Kong series, from the Nintendo Classics libraries to Donkey Kong Bananza itself. Some tasks are tuned for beginners, others for more experienced players, and all of them count toward the same collection. The challenge system is part of Nintendo’s broader push to keep retro games active on the subscription service, which recently added GameCube titles like Super Mario Sunshine to the Switch Online library on Switch 2.
What the DK Challenge covers
Nintendo first announced the DK Challenge during its June 2026 Direct as an event exclusive to Switch Online members on Switch 2. It spans multiple generations of Donkey Kong games, and Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the Switch 2’s launch-era standouts in our summer lineup roundup, is required for anyone chasing a complete set of missions. The physical card reward means there is now a concrete payoff for finishing the full challenge rather than just collecting the digital versions.
The digital Challenge Cards are separate from the physical set. During the event, each completed task across the Nintendo Classics libraries and Donkey Kong Bananza awards a digital card, and the 39-card split mirrors those challenge pools: 24 designs correspond to Bananza challenges and 15 to retro challenges in the Nintendo Classics titles. Players who finish individual challenges can keep viewing the digital cards they earned even after the event ends, while only full completion qualifies for the mailed set.
With the notification window set for early October, Nintendo has built in roughly a month between the event’s end and the first wave of reward confirmations, giving eligible players time to confirm their claims before the cards ship. The printed set is designed to echo the event’s digital rewards, with Nintendo describing the cards as inspired by the colorful world of Donkey Kong Bananza and the classic Donkey Kong adventures featured across the challenge.
