Nintendo Switch 2 Backward Compatibility Confirmed, Except For Few Games

Switch 2 users will be able to play their current Switch game libraries on the Nintendo Switch 2, which Nintendo has disclosed will be backward compatible. This announcement guarantees that the next platform will allow the playability of both hard and digital Nintendo Switch titles. Though most games will migrate easily, Nintendo has said that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2", hinting that some may encounter compatibility issues.

A recent leak claims that game-by-game backward compatibility upgrades for the future Nintendo Switch 2 would be handled, with certain titles receiving free upgrades and others possibly requiring an additional payment. The material comes from X user Nash Weedle, who has a questionable background but has accurately forecasted important Nintendo announcements, including Mario & Luigi: Brothership and Metroid Dread. Although the validity of this leak is unknown, the specifics line up with what many people believe Nintendo's future platform will offer.

The leak claims that every publisher and developer will choose how to manage their game enhancements. Certain titles, like No Man's Sky, are scheduled to get free updates, therefore enabling current owners to experience better performance and visuals without paying extra fees. In the meantime, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot seems to be among the games one needs to buy for an update. This suggests that publishers will choose whether to charge for upgraded versions or offer free fixes rather than that there would be a shared method for automated improvements.

The leak does not disclose Nintendo's approach to improving its first-party games. Still, persistent speculations suggest a remastered version of The Legend of Rye: Breath of the Wild under the codename "U-King-O". Reports from Gamescom 2023 showed that developers were shown a 4K 60fps version of the game running on PC hardware designed to reflect the Switch 2's capability devoid of load periods. Should this version exist, it's not known if Nintendo will charge a modest upgrade cost, provide it as a free upgrade to current owners, or publish it as a full-price stand-alone game.

There is speculation that Nintendo would adopt Sony's pricing strategy, which has provided $10 upgrade paths for PlayStation 5 games, including Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us Part I and II. Nintendo has always been among the costliest companies in the business, though, which begs questions about whether some improvements would be limited to complete re-release only. Nintendo might also include game updates within its Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) offering. Given rumors of an NSO price increase, an increased membership tier might give access to more valuable Switch titles.

This would be in line with Nintendo's past approach of combining DLC expansions with the NSO Expansion Pack, therefore providing consumers with more material without requiring individual purchases. Should this happen, premium NSO members might get free upgrades, including Breath of the Wild in 4K; non-subscribers might be expected to pay for particular features.

This leak indicates that not all games will profit, even if some will get patches and upgrades. Games with ongoing support, like No Man's Sky, are more likely to gain performance enhancements; older games without current patches might stay unmodified. This begs questions regarding games like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which have long suffered from performance problems. Should Nintendo and Game Freak neglect to give patches for these games top priority, they might run the same on the Switch 2 without using the new technology.

Though the notion is not clear overall, this leak implies that improvements in backward compatibility will not be a straightforward, all-around advantage. Rather, every game will call for developer involvement; individual publishers will decide whether those enhancements are free or paid. If this is accurate, it implies that although certain titles would get free speed boosts, others could demand an extra fee—or, in the worst-case scenario, customers would have to buy whole new editions.