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Over 15,000 games from the original Nintendo Switch will work on the upcoming Switch 2, but nearly 200 titles face compatibility issues when the new console launches June 5, 2025.
Nintendo released detailed compatibility information following its April 2 Nintendo Direct presentation, showing most games will transition smoothly to the $449.99 console.
Source: Nintendo
Popular titles, including Doom Eternal, Dead by Daylight, and Fortnite, are among 141 games that currently won’t start on the new system. Another 47 games, like Alan Wake Remastered and Fall Guys, will start but have “in-game compatibility issues.”
Nintendo says it’s “working with publishing and developing partners” to fix these issues before launch. Fortnite’s problems will be solved by launch day, as it appeared during the Nintendo Direct as a launch title.
Only one Nintendo game—the Labo VR Kit—won’t work at all because the larger Switch 2 can’t fit into the cardboard VR goggles.
Several games will receive special enhancements for Switch 2. Nintendo announced free updates for 12 first-party titles, including Super Mario Odyssey, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. These updates will improve performance and add support for new features like GameShare.
Paid upgrades, called “Switch 2 Editions,” will be available for select games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will receive HDR support, higher resolution, and faster loading times. Kirby and the Forgotten Land will get new content, while Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will support mouse controls using the Joy-Con 2’s optical sensors.
Certain games need original Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers to play on Switch 2. The new Joy-Con 2 controllers lack some features found in the originals, such as the infrared camera in the right Joy-Con. Games affected include Ring Fit Adventure, 1-2-Switch, and WarioWare: Move It!
To play these titles on Switch 2, players must connect the old Joy-Cons wirelessly. However, the new console cannot charge these controllers. Players have to use a separate charging accessory or the original Switch.
“It’s a little bizarre to see all these caveats with something that, ostensibly, just looks like a bigger and stronger Switch,” noted gaming journalist Hayes Madsen.
Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta called their method “somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility” in a developer interview. This approach changes the Switch game data into a format the Switch 2 can use while you play.
“The process of converting game data for Switch to run on Switch 2 is performed on a real-time basis as the data is read in,” said Tetsuya Sasaki, Switch 2 hardware design lead. Nintendo chose this hybrid approach because putting actual Switch hardware inside would have limited the new console’s power.
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches June 5, 2025, costing $449.99 or $429.99 when bundled with Mario Kart World.
