Nintendo Switch 2's Backward Compatibility Is More Complicated Than You Might Think
Not quite clear-cut.
Nintendo has finally revealed everything about the Nintendo Switch 2. We know all the launch details, and that includes how backward compatibility will work. But on that note, backward compatibility has ended up being something a bit more convoluted than most expected — with a few big caveats. In short, not every Nintendo Switch game will play flawlessly on Switch 2. But some will play better than ever before. So we’ll break down every single aspect of how backward compatibility works on Switch 2.
The easiest way to explain this is that there are essentially three groups of games in terms of compatibility. The first is games with “enhanced” Switch 2 Editions, adding on new features, content, or bigger changes — these are paid upgrades. There are four of these announced right now; Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Pokémon Legends Z-A will also have enhanced versions on Switch 2 when they launch. If you already own the Switch version of these games, Upgrade Packs can be purchased for $10-$15.
The second category is games that get a free performance boost on Switch 2. These will be smaller performance-focused updates, but the content will depend on the games. Here’s all of the games getting updates that Nintendo has announced.
- ARMS
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Game Builder Garage
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Pokémon Scarlet
- Pokémon Violet
- Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Where things get muddier are with all of the other Switch games, a few of which currently have problems.
Shortly after the Switch 2 reveal, Nintendo released two lists of Switch 1 games with “compatibility issues.” The first list is games that have start-up issues, meaning they might not even launch. The second list is games that start up but have some in-game compatibility issues, which could result in performance issues or bugs.
While some big first-party games will get full-blown paid updates, others will just get a visual bump.
There are some surprising entries on these lists, too. The start-up issue list has roughly 40 games that include the first Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Dead by Daylight, Doom Eternal, NBA 2K25, and Warframe. The compatibility issue list is smaller at around 20 games, but has Alan Wake: Remastered, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, and Fall Guys. All of these entries have a note that says “This issue is being investigated,” so it’s possible that any problems may be fixed in the future.
Of course, this means that the vast majority of Switch games will be playable perfectly fine on Switch 2. There’s a page on Nintendo’s official website that you can look at for more information, but basically, over 100 Nintendo games and over 15,000 partner games are playable on Switch 2. Currently, there’s only one game that’s outright not playable on Switch 2, and that’s the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit — simply because the bigger console won’t fit in the VR set.
Switch 2’s Joy-Cons are functionally different with new features like mouse mode, so they won’t work for games on Switch 1 that used unique Joy-Con features.
The other factor here is that certain Switch games require the original system's Joy-Cons to play, as Switch 2’s Joy-Cons don’t have the same features. This includes the likes of Ring Fit Adventure, 1-2 Switch, Game Builder Garage, Nintendo Switch Sports, and more.
However, if you own original Joy-Cons you can actually connect those to the Switch 2 and play those games. But you’ll have to charge the old Joy-Cons with something else, as Switch 2 is unable to charge them.
It’s a little bizarre to see all these caveats with something that, ostensibly, just looks like a bigger and stronger Switch. Still, the fact is that the vast majority of games will work on the new console, and we’ll likely see more first-party games get upgrades or enhanced editions. Knowing you’ll have a whole library of games ready to play certainly makes the $450 price tag a tad bit easier to stomach.
