As the Nintendo Switch 2 looms on the horizon—launching Thursday, June 5, 2025—game players are beginning to wonder about the backward compatibility of their game library. The Kyoto-based company has touted its new console as fully backward compatible, but if you look at the details, the reality turns out to be quite different. The manufacturer bases this statement on the number of titles already ready to be exported to Switch 2. In total, 122 Nintendo games will be playable without any issues, and over 15,000 games developed will also be. Cases of incompatibility are therefore only a small minority. Unfortunately,the detailed lists accessible on the manufacturer's official website reveal that some popular titles are still unplayable two months before the console's launch.
Games that present gameplay issues
At a time when As we write these lines, 50 games are presented as spared “launch problems on Nintendo Switch 2, but presenting compatibility issues”. The issues in question are not in the file posted online, the manufacturer simply stating “This problem is being examined” for each listed case. The terms used nevertheless suggest that these are performance glitches, among other unusual crashes.
And contrary to what one might think, this list does not only concern unknown third-party titles developed by small studios. We find for example Alan Wake Remastered, Alien: Isolation, Fall Guys, Harvestella, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Just Dance 2019, Overcooked! All You Can Eat or Saints Row IV: Re-Elected. If you want to continue enjoying these games, you'll need to keep an original Switch. Some titles simply can't be launched. Unfortunately, the situation is even more worrying for games that are "having problems launching on Nintendo Switch 2." This list contains no fewer than 141 titles that are still entirely incompatible with the new console. Nintendo and the relevant studios still have two months to rectify this, but here is a sample of notable games you might be missing out on on Switch 2:
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Darksiders Genesis
- Dead by Daylight
- DOOM: Eternal
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster (first game only)
- Fitness Boxing
- NBA 2K18
- NBA 2K25
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
- Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
- Palia
- Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
- Rocket League
- South Park: The Fractured But Whole
- Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival
- The Jackbox Party Pack
- The Jackbox Party Pack 2
- The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition
- Warframe
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
The case of games that require old Joy-Con
Also note that some games from the previous generation will only be playable on Switch 2 with Joy-Con from the Switch 1. This will be the case for Ring Fit Adventure, 1-2-Switch, L’atelier du jeu vidéo, Program Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Sports, and WarioWare: Move It. The case of Nintendo Labo is more complex, since some games require the console to be inserted into a provided stand, and the new dimensions of the Switch 2 are not compatible. Finally, as for Everybody 1-2-Switch!, the manufacturer recommends using original Joy-Con controllers for the “Joy-Con Hide and Seek” mini-game, as the vibrations of the new controllers can make the hunt more difficult.
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