Nintendo Switch 2 won't make you say goodbye to your old games
Those who invested heavily in the Nintendo Switch will be pleased about this seemingly confirmed Switch 2 feature
👀 An insider has said the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backward compatible
👏 That means it’ll be able to play digital and physical Switch games you already own
🔜 Nintendo is expected to reveal the Switch 2 this month
📆 The console is due to launch next year, around March 2025
One of the most important features of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is whether or not the system will be backward compatible with existing games.
With the console being on sale for almost eight years and millions investing their time and money into the best Switch games, it would be hard to take if Nintendo didn’t make the Switch 2 backward compatible.
However, industry insider Nate the Hate, who has a fairly strong track record for breaking news before it’s officially announced, said on Reddit that the Nintendo Switch “has backwards compatibility support.”
Nate the Hate’s claim lines up with the Chinese Switch peripheral maker Mobpad, which produces the excellent Mobpad M6 HD and Mobapad Chitu HD controllers. The company said the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backward compatible with physical and digital games, including the existing Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
Nintendo is usually pretty reliable with backward compatibility support, but the Nintendo Switch broke a trend due to its new card format. The Wii, Wii U, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS were all backward compatible.
A Switch 2 announcement is almost here
Nintendo has said it will reveal the successor to the Switch before the end of this financial year, which ends March 2025. However, a Nintendo Switch 2 reveal is widely expected this month as Nintendo usually holds a Direct presentation.
More evidence emerged that a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement will happen soon, as some in the industry have heard whispers about something happening this month.
A Nintendo Switch 2 reveal would coincide with Sony’s plans to announce its new console in the coming weeks. The PS5 Pro is close to being officially unveiled and should launch in November. Expect PS5 Pro pre-orders to go live at the end of September with the price rumored to be between $599 and $699.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.