Will Original Switch Games Look Better on the Nintendo Switch 2?

From the archetypal announcement of the Switch 2, it's been a beauteous cosmopolitan presumption that the Nintendo Switch 2 would beryllium backwards compatible with games from the Switch. Similar to the DS and 3DS, oregon Gamecube and Wii.

While we present cognize officially that this is the case, it's much nuanced than that, and it's not a fixed that each your existent Switch games volition enactment connected the Switch 2, oregon they'll look oregon tally amended if they do.

How Does the Switch 2 Play Switch Games?

The Switch 2 tin play Switch games downloaded from Nintendo's online store, and it tin play carnal Nintendo Switch cartridges. However, it's not compatible with the microSD cards utilized successful the Switch. You'll request to put successful a microSD Express paper instread, though the upside is that loading times should beryllium overmuch amended crossed the board.

It would person been bully to person the enactment to larboard our aged SD cards guardant to the caller system, but Switch 2 games request overmuch faster storage, truthful regular microSD was ne'er going to chopped it.

Not All Switch Games Will Work

In a developer interview it was made crystal wide that the Switch 2 cannot play archetypal Switch games natively. At slightest not wholly so. Nintendo's Takuhiro Dohta explains:

...we did thing that’s determination successful betwixt a bundle emulator and hardware compatibility.

The applicable effect of this is that Switch 2 compatibility is imperfect. Have a look astatine this authoritative compatibility illustration updates connected April 1st, 2025.

While virtually each first-party games person passed "basic compatibility testing", lone a tiny percent of third-party games person that aforesaid status. The immense bulk of third-party titles work, but person issues according to this data. Of course, this is going to change, and the compatibility database volition germinate implicit time, but don't database your aged Switch for merchantability conscionable yet.

Some Games Will Play Better As-Is

Due to the overmuch higher show level of the Switch 2, peculiarly successful the graphics department, immoderate Switch games volition simply tally amended without immoderate modification. In particular, games that person unlocked framework rates oregon usage dynamic solution scaling, volition apt person overmuch faster framework rates and higher resolutions connected average.

Unfortunately, precise fewer Switch games person unlocked framework rates, and those that shipped with 30fps caps volition clasp those 30fps caps unless there's immoderate benignant of modification oregon intervention. The bully quality is that rather a batch of Switch games marque assertive usage of dynamic solution scaling, and truthful I expect them to look overmuch sharper compared to however they usually tally connected the archetypal Switch.

Even games with a 30fps headdress should payment from a much unchangeable framework rate, and I expect games to person little plus pop-in acknowledgment to faster retention arsenic well. So adjacent though you whitethorn get nary much than 30fps, you should hopefully get nary little than that either.

Nintendo Is Charging for Next-Gen Add-Ons

While unmodified Switch games whitethorn oregon whitethorn not tally amended connected the caller hardware, Nintendo's alleged "Switch 2 Edition" versions of games person been ported to the caller hardware to tally arsenic autochthonal software, which besides means the developers person the accidental to modify the crippled to instrumentality amended vantage of Switch 2.

These games are sold astatine afloat retail price, but if you ain the Switch mentation you tin wage a smaller interest to upgrade your existing transcript to the Switch 2 Edition.

The nonstop improvements volition disagree from 1 crippled to the next, but successful wide these versions of the crippled should person faster loading times, higher resolutions, and amended framework rates. They mightiness besides person amended textures, oregon higher levels of effects specified arsenic real-time lighting oregon amended shadiness quality. These are efficaciously remastered versions of Switch games, but until we spot these games successful action, it's excessively aboriginal to cognize precisely what sorts of improvements are possible.

DLSS Is Not Automatically Added to Games

NVIDIA has confirmed successful a blog post that the Switch 2 has DLSS technology. This allows for hardware-accelerated upscaling of images to higher resolutions. DLSS has been a resounding occurrence connected PC, and the Switch 2 is the archetypal illustration of DLSS coming to consoles, though the PlayStation 5 Pro is the archetypal to usage AI upscaling, but of a proprietary nature.

Having DLSS built into the Switch 2 is simply a large advantage, and could bring ocular prime person to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles, but there's nary warrant that each crippled volition instrumentality it.

In fact, arsenic of this penning there's nary conclusive grounds that immoderate showcased Switch 2 crippled is utilizing DLSS. It's besides highly improbable that DLSS could beryllium applied to Switch games that are moving unmodified, since DLSS usually requires integration into a crippled motor to enactment correctly.

DLSS upscaling inactive has a show cost, truthful don't expect a batch of 4K 60fps games acknowledgment to the technology, but I would not beryllium amazed if we saw a bully fig of 30fps games upscaled from 1080p oregon 1440p to 4K.

Some Developers Could Patch Their Switch Games for Free

Now, to beryllium clear, this is axenic speculation connected my part. However, there's a bully accidental that immoderate developers volition opt to spot their archetypal Switch games to instrumentality immoderate measurement of vantage of the Switch 2 moving successful backward-compatible mode. Specifically, they whitethorn simply adhd the enactment to unlock the framework complaint connected those games, oregon assistance the maximum resolution.

I fishy that astir developers won't find it financially feasible to make a peculiar Switch 2 Edition of their games, truthful making a fewer tweaks to the archetypal codification successful bid to region limits suitable for the archetypal Switch could beryllium a much applicable mode to incentivize Switch 2 owners to bargain those games.

I besides foresee developers making changes to their archetypal Switch games to marque them tally without bugs connected Switch 2 hardware, but this volition apt beryllium a beauteous agelong process that volition persist past the authoritative motorboat of the console to the public.

So, for now, the bottommost enactment is that you should not expect that each games volition tally correctly connected Switch 2, oregon that they volition tally immoderate amended than connected the archetypal Switch. Which is simply a bully statement for keeping your aged console useful successful lawsuit you request to divided games to tally connected the champion enactment of the 2 generations.