Nintendo Confirms Switch 2 Will Support Backward Compatibility with Switch Games

Following Nintendo’s recent Corporate Management Policy Briefing, the company took to Twitter to reassure fans that games for the Nintendo Switch will still be playable on its upcoming new console, often referred to as the Switch 2.

The detailed Management Policy Briefing, accessible on Nintendo’s website, delves into the company’s current position within the console hardware market. It highlights the impressive milestone of 146 million Nintendo Switch units sold and boasts that more games have been played on the Switch than on any other piece of Nintendo hardware. The comprehensive 59-page document provides in-depth sales data and other historical insights, confirming that the existing Nintendo Switch Online service, along with music and other features, will be available when the Switch 2 makes its debut.

For those familiar with Sony or Microsoft’s approach to console compatibility, this might come as no surprise. Microsoft Xbox has set a high standard for backward compatibility, incorporating features like FPS Boost and Resolution Boosting for games from older generations, such as the original Xbox and Xbox 360, playable on newer consoles like Xbox One or Xbox Series S/X. Meanwhile, Sony has been more restrictive with backward compatibility since the PS3 era, though the PlayStation 5 does support PS4 titles very well, and several PS2 and PS1 games can be played through emulation. PS3 titles, however, are mostly available through cloud streaming on the PS4 and PS5, which has been a point of contention among PlayStation fans.

Nintendo has had a generally positive track record with backward compatibility—right up until the introduction of the Switch. The previous console, the Wii U, supported discs from the Wii and GameCube and included a Virtual Console that filled most gaps in Nintendo’s historical libraries. On the handheld side, the 3DS could play DS titles, though no version of the 3DS could run games from the Game Boy Advance or other single-screen Nintendo handhelds.

With the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which united Nintendo’s handheld and home console lines and shifted from PowerPC to ARM CPU architecture, the company moved away from backward compatibility. Thankfully, the Switch’s success, boosted by its Nvidia-powered mobile hardware, has seemingly encouraged Nintendo to continue with this strategy. This means gamers purchasing Switch titles now won’t have to worry about leaving their favorites behind when the Switch 2 hits the shelves.

There’s hope that this could also allow games otherwise constrained by the original hardware, like “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” to run at over 60 FPS without relying on emulation software. Nintendo has been keen on shutting down emulation, possibly due to fear that just as Dolphin could emulate GameCube and Wii, unbridled Switch emulators might be capable of emulating the Switch 2 as well.