Here’s a breakdown of how original Switch titles work on Switch 2, explaining everything from free Switch 2 updates to inbuilt backwards compatibility and the paid Switch 2 Edition upgrades
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utside of the phenomenal Mario Kart World and next week’s Donkey Kong Bananza, there isn’t much new Nintendo software to keep early Switch 2 adopters occupied. Thankfully, Nintendo has seen fit to improve a heap of existing Nintendo Switch games on the shiny new system, both in the form of graphics-boosting free updates and more substantial paid reworks. The different options can be confusing, however, so here’s an explanation of how it all works.
Depending on how they were coded, some original Switch games simply run better on Switch 2 without any additional meddling from developers. Games with an uncapped frame rate – developers sometimes restrict this to help regulate performance – especially reap the benefits, especially if they chugged along on the original Switch. 2023’s brilliant Bayonetta 3, for example, runs at 60fps on Switch 2, making it even more essential (though a resolution bump would be welcome, too). The Switch game that consumed more than 700 hours of my time, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, now loads into matches significantly faster. Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Skyrim also see significantly reduced loading times, and the infamously sluggish Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity now runs at a locked, reliable frame rate.
