Nintendo Fans Make Interesting Discovery About Switch 2 Edition Games

Early adopters of the Nintendo Switch 2 have discovered something interesting about the way Switch 2 Edition game cartridges work. This Nintendo Switch 2 detail may be important for original Nintendo Switch owners to know.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has now rolled out, and gamers are learning everything there is to know about the new system and its games. For example, those players have learned that Mario Kart World is missing local multiplayer in free roam mode. Another common sentiment is that the Nintendo Switch 2 is great, but it doesn’t have enough exclusive games yet to make it worth picking up right now. For those kinds of fans, this information is particularly important.

It’s already known that the Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible, allowing players with the new system to seamlessly play the vast majority of original Switch releases. However, players have now discovered that if a player puts a cartridge for a Switch 2 Edition of a game into the original Switch, it’s playable on the original Switch. For example, this works with things like the Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, or Super Mario Party Jamboree.

Which Switch 2 Games Are Excluded From Working on the First Nintendo Switch?

It’s worth pointing out that original Switch 2 games do not work on the original Nintendo Switch. This feature only applies to games that were previously available on the original Switch and are considered to be a “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.” When the Nintendo Switch 2 was being detailed, Nintendo explained that Switch 2 Editions would contain the original game, plus an upgrade for the Switch 2. It seems that what’s happening is that the Nintendo Switch 2 looks at all the available files on a cartridge and plays the game accordingly, while the Nintendo Switch is only able to access the original version of the game without the upgrades and plays that. Exclusive games for the Nintendo Switch 2 can’t be played on the Switch in any way.

While this is a curious discovery, it probably won’t be extremely helpful to those who have picked up the Switch 2, but it might be for Switch owners. Gamers who think they might upgrade some day in the future could potentially buy a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of a game that originally launched on the Switch. In theory, they can play the game from start to finish on their current system, and in the event that they upgrade someday in the future, they’ll already have access to the upgraded version without having to make a second investment.