Switch 2 Game Backwards Compatibility: What We Know

Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 on Thursday, posting a video showing off the new hardware. The company didn’t offer a lot of technical specs, but it did confirm that the Switch 2 will have backward compatibility for playing Switch games. 

At the end of the announcement video, a slide confirms that the Switch 2 will be backward compatible with physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. However, there was a note that some games will “not be supported on or fully compatible” with the Switch 2. 

Nintendo didn’t provide any further details about the incompatible games and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

One game that likely won’t be backward-compatible is Ring Fit Adventure, a fitness game released in 2019 by Nintendo. While the game itself will likely work, as it can be inserted into the Switch 2, the Ring-Con could be an issue since it’s an accessory that requires the Switch Joy-Cons to attach via the rails. The Switch 2 has new Joy-Cons that appear to attach magnetically. This issue could be rectified by having the Switch 2 also be backward compatible with the original Joy-Cons. 

Watch this: Nintendo Switch 2 Announced: Everything We Know

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Along with backward compatibility, the Switch 2 video reveal showed some other big changes coming with the new hardware. This includes a bigger screen, two USB-C ports instead of one, a newly designed larger kickstand that can recline further and Joy-Cons that appear to work like a computer mouse. Nintendo plans on holding a Switch 2 Direct show on April 2 to give more details. It will also hold in-person events in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, giving fans a chance to use the Switch 2. No release date or price for the Switch 2 was announced.