Switch 2's Backwards Compatibility List Provides Updates On Two Titles

Hopeful for Hamster getting their emulators compatible with previously released arcade archives games. Other emulation based collections I’m less confident in the publishers updating the emulators for Switch 2 compatibility

It's good to see Nintendo working on updating older games to work on the Switch 2. I do hope other developers will follow soon after launch.

@NinChocolate They have patched games in the past for bugs, so I'm sure they will for Switch 2 when they find the time spare from releasing weekly games.

@Angelic_Lapras_King for sure, M2 and Hamster are pretty project oriented studios. Hopeful for them. But others like D3T (Genesis collection - delisted as well), City Connection, Konami… not much promise, I feel

That's Anti-Matter's Switch 2 pre-order locked in then.

I was expecting this once that list was put out there, but I'm glad to see they're already starting to patch up the holes in the backwards compatibility. I'd guess the first thing some studios will do with their Switch 2 dev kit is figure out why their Switch 1 game isn't working so they can keep selling it on the new platform.

There are quite a few games listed as having problems, and these are only the ones the Nintendo have tested. And it doesn't just seem to be games that need access to Switch 1 only features like IR camera. Looks like only 2% of 15000 tested games have confirmed issues, though Nintendo themselves say the testing is not extensive.

Whether Nintendo can fix the problems or if it's up to the studios to make patches will be interesting, if it's the latter there may be quite a few games unplayable on Switch 2

I was sad to see Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath on the list, hopefully the other Oddworld titles will work or be updated in time for S2’s launch…

The only titles I have concerns about (and that is too strong a word!) are Alien Isolation and GRID, but good to see an update on this.

There is a substantial number of games in that list that are pretty glaring ngl. Not to mention a lot of games still not getting tested and making it into any list. I'll be keeping my Switch 1s for now just in case

Im looking forward to seeing how Pokemon Violet runs on Switch 2

I own maybe 4 of those games listed. Could have been worse.

Bethesda/ID have been so good at updating their games across all platforms it would be good to see Doom Eternal get an update.

I'd hope Machine games will drop an update for Wolfenstein 2 as well.

Both could do with totally new versions to be honest for the new hardware. Hopefully a complete set with Doom 2016 being updated to 60fps.

Honestly the price of the console or games do not bother me but what do bother me is how Nintendo decided to abandon original Switch hardware for backwards compatibility… Switch 2 is just running OG Switch games on a emulation layer….. a lot of original Switch games might not work or have bugs… emulation layer is hit or miss… it’s main reason putting me off to getting a Switch 2

i bought Nier Automata (PS4 game) on PS5 enjoying the game until i got to a section where the game just crashes not allowing you to progress because it’s running emulation backwards compatibility…. Great paid $$$ for a game that does not work currently.. not a fan of emulation backwards compatibility

@Abrammchi it isn't running emulation. It is running a translation layer similar to steamdeck.

There is no way Nintendo could have put Switch 1 hardware into the Switch 2 and kept the form factor and the cost down. Something had to give.

@Medic_alert
I really hope you don't believe that!

It seems the BC of Switch 2 with Switch 1 games looked worse than Wii U BC or PS5 BC.
It seems Switch 2 BC somewhat like XBOX 360 Region compatibility with hit & miss BC.

@Hank_Scorpio same here. GRID, Alien and also RocketLeague get a lot of play time in my house. Hopefully they’ll get sorted. I’d even be tempted with Switch 2 edition patches for these games to beef up their performance some what. GRID auto sport could do with some love. Great game.

Thanks, for making me realise, that the Switch 2 will not be as backwards compatible as I thought. I thought only games like Ring Fit might not work.

I planned to keep my Switch anyway, but now I even have a good reason to do so. I mean I do not even know how intensive the testing was.

Edit: Sounds like a good excuse to ask for upgrade money.

@Spider-Kev believe what?

@WheresWaveRace Shouldn't say this out loud, but I'd also lay out a few quid to upgrade Alien and (especially) GRID.

So do any of the Switch games see any benefits at all on Switch2 or just the same? Is it only the specific Switch2 Edition releases like BOTW that see any improvements?

@Johnny44 I think that’s the million dollar question - I think they should have talked about that on the Switch 2 presentation.

It would be a huge selling point if lots of games saw an improvement

@presenttense @Johnny44 most games on Switch are hard coded to a top limit of 30fps- as a result none of those games will improve in performance above that level without a patch.

Where performance dropped below 30fps the new hardware should be able to smooth that out.

Similarly with resolution, anything running a fixed resolution cannot just suddenly run at a higher resolution without being patched. However, some games run a dynamic resolution where they lower the displayed resolution in taxing scenes to aid performance. These games will likely run at or close to their maximum resolution more often.

So very much case by case basis and there is no magic bullet that can overcome the way the game was programmed.

@Anti-Matter No it's not worse. By far most games already work just fine per Nintendo's website and all first party games except for Labo VR work on Switch 2. Only a tiny portion of over 15000 games still has notable issues to be addressed.

@Abrammchi https://www.nintendo.com/de-de/Hardware/Nintendo-Switch-2/Kompatibilitat-mit-Nintendo-Switch-Spielen-2786092.html
Here you can see how games fare with backwards compatibility so far. Most games are still being tested, have not shown any issues so far though.

I'm interested to see how ninja gaiden 2 runs on switch 2. Will only 7 weeks till launch give or take someone should be testing theese games and releasing YouTube footage.

i recently bought tokyo xanadu ex which is on the list..

@Poco_Lypso I wonder why that game broke. Too goated?

Alien and Megaman collection?
Not that it matters too much though, I have so much to transfer I'm not sure I'll be able to do it right away with the ordeal that it is currently to get a SD express that's acceptable in terms of storage.

Just give us Save the World on Switch 2, Epic. That's all we want.

@kal_el_07241 I don't play Save the World on other versions a lot, but maybe I would if they actually let it be on the Switch 2 version. Excluding it due to it not being a focus was already dumb, but if it was also a power reason...they don't have an excuse now lol.

@GoldenBot Precisely - considering that the Switch could run/handle all creative maps made (some of which being so much more graphically daunting than STW), Epic would only be holding it back now because they just don't want to do it.

Can we get a switch 2 version of minecraft please it runs like crap

The Borderlands games and Pizza Tower just need those tweaks to be carried over. Especially the latter. 🍕

I'm curious to know how many developers go to the trouble of patching their games for Switch2, without making an extra charge. The Original Switch has a stack of great games that run like trash, either with choppy frame rates (which will presumably just sort themselves out to some extent with the extra power under the hood), but then there's the ones that had to be butchered to get them to run at all (like Journey to the Savage Planet); will they bother un-butcher them without having to fork out for a "switch 2 edition" upgrade?

@Ichiban

Ichiban…
Lipstick for men.

I really hope Behavior makes a Switch 2 version of Dead by Daylight so that we can have a good portable version that’s made with the battery life in mind! I like playing it on my Steam Deck but I can barely play 2 matches before the battery percentage gets really low.

I think the best solution imo is to keep the original Switch. Just include games on the new console that play well and benefit with the new hardware. Switch 1 is still a really good game machine, will be supported in some way for a very long time ( they still release games for xbox one and PS4. I dont see why switch cant still be a great way to play indies ) and switch 1 trade in value isn't that great. So why not keep it instead.

This is all so convoluted that most of these games, even "physical ones", will not work properly in the future. More and more confusing w every generation.

I'm not sure why an upgraded Switch (aka Switch 2) would have any incompatibility issues with previous Switch games. Almost feels like a reason to sell a Switch 2 version later on down the road as a Remake/Remaster. Just seems odd.

@Patendo It's getting a free Switch 2 update, so hopefully a lot better. We can only hope. I really want to finish the 2nd DLC but I'm waiting to do it on the Switch 2...

@PharoneTheGnome The Switch 2 has a completely different SoC than the Switch. It basically can't run Switch games natively (it would've been a lot less powerful if it did)

@PharoneTheGnome
That's because the Switch 2 is not actually an upgraded Switch but rather a brand new game system with brand new system-on-chip.

Specifically, the GPU on the Switch 2 is not natively backwards compatible with the GPU on the Switch 1, so it uses a translation layer to convert Switch 1 GPU code to Switch 2 GPU code. This works 99% of the time but does present some issues for some titles.

@NinChocolate is there a statement about Konami compilations being incompatible?

@Medic_alert i know same thing

@westman98 Thank you for explaining that.

@Abrammchi while it achieves the same outcome, it is not the same thing.

Translation is much more efficient and in the case of the Switch will allow for more performance and longer battery life.

Hmm my fear is that this incompatibility list is bound to grow over time. I'm starting to think that maybe trading my old oled in wasn't exactly the best choice...

I wonder if the switcher iii will benefit from the switch 2 power.

@Poco_Lypso Tokyo Xanadu was the one highlight for me too. Didn't see much else that I own. And I'm assuming a game that's not listed anywhere is working.

I hope no shovelware is compatible with Switch 2! 😆

As someone who played Fortnite ever since it came to the original Switch, I actually can't wait to see it running on Switch 2. We haven't seen a single UE5 game on the console yet, and who knows to what extent ray-tracing could be possible there, considering what even Steam Deck could achieve.

@Anti-Matter 15,000 games say otherwise

Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition never worked on Switch1 either tbf.

sorry, that is a complete joke. there are 1500 games with an unknown compability status which is absolutely insane just weeks prior to launch. why are people so confident that the switch 2 will be reliable for backwards compatibility? it's just way too early to know for sure and even nintendo hasn't got a clue.

I think alot of Switch 1 owners will be the test when it finally comes out if they games owned plays and what issues they will get playing on Switch 2.