Nintendo Fans Surprised to Find Switch 2 Edition Game Cartridges Also Work on Switch 1

Nintendo fans person known for immoderate clip that Switch 2 is backwards compatible with Switch 1 games. But what happens erstwhile you bash the reverse and instrumentality a Switch 2 crippled successful a Switch 1?

Insert a Switch 2-only crippled specified arsenic Mario Kart World successful a Switch 1 and Nintendo's last-gen console volition simply show an mistake message, saying that the bundle is designed for Switch 2.

But popular a Switch 2 Edition cartridge of immoderate games besides disposable connected Switch 1, specified arsenic The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and... it works.

What is going connected here? Well, Nintendo itself hasn't gone into detail, but packaging for Switch 2 Edition games does enactment that cartridges incorporate some the archetypal crippled and the Switch 2 upgrade.

"This Nintendo Switch 2 Edition comprises the Nintendo Switch crippled and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack," Switch 2 Edition packaging reads. "The upgrade battalion is besides disposable separately."

In different words, erstwhile you enactment a Switch 2 Edition cartridge successful a Switch 1, the older console knows to disregard the Switch 2 spot and conscionable play the archetypal game.

Nintendo doesn't look to person ever stated successful plain English that this is however immoderate Switch 2 Edition cartridges operate, but it's a utile diagnostic to beryllium alert of. For example, if you're a Switch 1 proprietor who plans to bargain Switch 2 successful future, you could bargain a Switch 2 Edition of a crippled present to play cross-gen erstwhile the clip comes, without worrying astir upgrading your crippled down the line.

"Huh. Confirmed that this does so enactment connected a Switch 1. (As the OG Switch game.) Kinda surprised," John Ricciardi, laminitis of Tokyo-based video crippled localization steadfast 8-4, wrote connected Bluesky today, upon investigating his Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 Edition cartridge connected a Switch 1.

It's a strategy that's not a cardinal miles distant from however Xbox handles ownership of games crossed its household of consoles. Owning a transcript of a crippled unlocks entree to antithetic versions of said game, which the hardware volition detect.

One difference, of course, is that Nintendo has decided to complaint other for immoderate Switch 2 Edition versions — specified arsenic with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and (deep breath) Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV.

Of course, conscionable to marque everything adjacent much confusing, Nintendo has besides provided different updates and upgrades to Nintendo Switch 1 games connected Switch 2 for escaped — and it issued a agelong database of spot notes for titles specified arsenic Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Zelda: Link's Awakening and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom earlier this week.

IGN has contacted Nintendo for more.

Earlier today, IGN reported connected the contented of damaged Switch 2 consoles owed to retailers puncturing the console's bladed boxes with staples. If you're buying a console (with oregon without Welcome Tour), it's thing to beryllium alert of. It has besides emerged that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour — the console's $10 Switch 2 mini-game postulation that galore fans judge should person been escaped — requires you ain astatine slightest $95 of accessories successful bid to implicit 100%.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social