The Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to play most original Switch games without any issues when it launches on June 5. According to an update from Nintendo, most big games and all first-party titles (with one tiny exception) will work on Switch 2, though you might need an update or an old Joy-Con.
Back in April, Nintendo revealed that over 120 Switch games would have compatibility issues on the upcoming Switch 2 console. At the time, it wasn’t clear what Nintendo meant when it listed some games as having start-up issues and other titles as having in-game compatibility problems. It seemed like Nintendo was saying that a small portion of the console’s massive library wouldn’t work very well, or at all, on the new machine. Now, we have some more clarity, and some good news for people wanting to play Doom Eternal on their Switch 2 next month.
On May 27, Nintendo posted new Switch 2 backward compatibility lists alongside some more in-depth information about what will and won’t work on the new console. The good news: Only one first-party Nintendo game, Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit, is completely unplayable on Switch 2. The console maker says this comes down to the fact that Switch 2 is too big and can’t be “inserted into the Toy-Con VR Goggles.”
All other first-party Switch games, including the other Labo titles, will work on Switch 2. However, some titles, like 1-2 Switch and Ring Fit Adventure, will only work on Switch 2 if you connect an OG Switch Joy-Con to the new console. It should also be noted that Fitness Boxing, also published by Nintendo, will need an update to work on Switch 2.
As for third-party titles, Nintendo has tested more titles and worked with publishers to create new lists. 118 games are still listed as having “start-up issues” on Switch 2. Meanwhile, 50 games “start up on Nintendo Switch 2 but include some in-game compatibility issues,” and 54 games have in-game problems, but a patch is planned to fix these issues at launch or soon after. In April, the list of games with “start-up issues” was 130. Looking at the lists, over 20 of these games are now set to be updated and should work better on Switch 2, including Doom Eternal and Pizza Tower.
Interestingly, some software like Hulu and Crunchyroll won’t be compatible on Switch 2 at all. It remains to be seen if that’s because there are new versions of those apps coming to Switch 2 in the future or because the companies behind those streaming apps just don’t see a point in supporting the new hardware.
Regardless, it’s great to see nearly the entire Switch library will be playable on Switch 2, even if I’ll have to dig out an old Joy-Con to play games like Nintendo Switch Sports.
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