Switch 1 games that will get free updates on Switch 2 include Super Mario Odyssey

Aside from the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, some Switch 1 games, including Super Mario Odyssey, will get improvements with free updates, Nintendo confirmed.

Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with most (nearly all) of Switch 1 games. In fact, Nintendo released a list detailing backwards compatibility, and the only one that will NOT be playable on Switch 2 is Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 4 VR Kit, because the Switch 2 physically doesn't fit. However, this backwards compatibility is a bit complex, and as explained by Kouichi Kawamoto on an Ask the Developer, "Switch 2 doesn't contain any Switch hardware".

It is not emulation, but rather a different process of converting game data on Switch to run on Switch 2. And it seems it will make some Switch games run better on the new hardware: "It adds value to Switch games that players already own", said Takuhiro Dohta, senior director at EPD department.

We have seen some games that will receive "Nintendo Switch 2 Editions": The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which will be paid upgrades (some will be free for Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers) that will include HDR support, better performance and, in some cases, new gameplay content.

Switch 1 games that will get free updates on Switch 2

However, other Switch 1 games will get free updates that "that may improve performance or add support for features such as GameShare in select games. The contents of these free updates will differ depending on the game".

Those games are:

• Arms


• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker


• Super Mario Odyssey


• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury


• Clubhouse Games 51 Worldwide Classics


• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening


• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom


• Game Builder Garage


• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe


• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet


• Big Brain Academy Brain vs Brain

So, good news for owners of Switch 1 games: many will run better on Switch 2, and not all of those updates will be paid. Seeing the list, it's surprising that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 3 or Bayonetta 3 are either of those lists. Will they get a Switch 2 edition later on?

Switch 2 users will be allowed to keep their original Switch with the same digital library

And, as explained by Nintendo, users that already have a Switch 1 that will buy a Switch 2 will be able to have their full digital libraries on both consoles at the same time thanks to the Nintendo Account. That is why "Digital Game Cards" were introduced: "They might wonder which system they should use to play their digital games, but with virtual game cards, they can load and eject digital games between Switch and Switch 2 just like you would with a physical game card. This feature can also be used among Switch systems as well as Switch 2 systems", said Dohta.