Summary
-
Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 hardware will have improved features for both old and new games.
-
Switch 2 makes it possible to play most existing Switch 1 games, with special upgrades for selected titles.
-
Nintendo will release free updates for some Switch 1 games to optimize performance on Switch 2.
In order to market the upcoming edition of Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware, Nintendo has revealed a list of Switch 1 games that will receive free improvements. Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide on June 5, 2025 and is the next generation of Nintendo's Switch hardware, with improved features that will apply to both older titles and new original games.
The release date for Nintendo's next gene hardware is ever closer, and while fans and Nintendo managers are considering the potential for Switch 2 delivery problems, the company itself is to ensure that the owners of the current Switch hardware will find a certain value in an upgrade. Early, Nintendo confirmed that Switch 2 will use a combination of hardware and software solutions to address the issue of backward compatibility, which allows it to play most existing Switch 1 games. Some of Nintendo's most popular titles on Switch 1, for example The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The tears of the kingdomWill also receive special upgrades “Switch 2 Edition”, which allows them to take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware.
Family
“Physical games are still an important part of our business” Nintendo comments on Controversial Switch 2 Game Key cards
Players have expressed concern about the use of gaming key cards on Nintendo Switch 2, and now Nintendo talks about it.
Although there are many Switch 1 games that do not get Switch 2 editions, Nintendo will not leave them all out in the cold. On the official Nintendo website, the company recently published a list of Select Switch 1 games that will receive free updates to improve their performance on Switch 2. ARMSand the popular table play collection Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.
List of Nintendo Switch 1 game with Switch 2 Performance updates
-
ARMS
-
Optimized images
-
Optimized image speed
-
HDR support
-
-
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
-
Gameshare and GameChat Support for up to four players in party mode
-
-
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
-
Optimized images
-
HDR support
-
Gameshare and GameChat Support for up to two players
-
-
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
-
Gameshare and GameChat Support for up to four players in 34 games
-
- Game Builder Garage
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
-
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
-
Optimized images
-
Optimized image speed
-
-
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
-
Optimized images
-
Optimized image speed
-
HDR -Support in Bowser's rage
-
Gameshare Support (four players in Super Mario 3D WorldTwo players in Bowser's rage)
-
GameChat Support
-
-
Super Mario Odyssey
-
Optimized images
-
HDR support
-
Gameshare and GameChat Support for up to two players
-
-
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
-
Optimized images
-
HDR support
-
-
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
-
Optimized images
-
HDR support
-
The Nintendo listed list is mainly limited to games published and developed by Nintendo himself and contains updates that are scheduled to go live together with the release of Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. It also includes previously confirmed updates like The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Switch 2 patches. Third-party publishers will determine their own priorities when it comes to release updates for their Switch 1 games, or if they will commit themselves to distinct Switch 2 ports.
The list also does not mention performance updates for games that get their own Switch 2 editions, as Wild breath or Kirby and the forgotten country. While Nintendo has not undertaken to issue Patches for Switch 1 versions of these games, it has said that some Switch 1 games will see a performance bend simply from playing on Switch 2's more powerful hardware. Whether it will address their performance problems or satisfy fans that are uncertain to upgrade to the new console is another issue.