Backward compatibility

When a new console arrives, the first question for many owners is whether their existing games will run on it. A backward-compatible console can play some or all of the previous machine’s games, and often use its controllers and accessories.

It is rarely all or nothing. New hardware differs from the old, and a game written for one machine may rely on something the successor does not have, or does differently. The usual result is a mix: most games run, some run with limits, and a few do not run at all.

Nintendo Switch 2 is a current example. Nintendo says it plays compatible Switch games, on cartridge and as downloads, but that some may not be supported or fully compatible, may take longer to become playable, or may lose some functions. Specific games that relied on the original Joy-Con’s IR camera or on attaching to accessories such as the Ring-Con need the original controllers. Some Switch games also get free updates or paid upgrades that improve how they run on the new console.

Our guide to Switch 2 backward compatibility lists what carries over and what does not.