The Switch 2 Makes Your Old Games Run Better Even Without Updates

Do you love the Nintendo Switch? Do you have a rich library of games, and wish you could play them at smoother frame rates with visual upgrades? Do you have $450? Nintendo has a solution for you!

The Switch 2 Plays Most Original Switch Games

Backward compatibility was arguably one of the biggest wants from fans of the original Switch, and Nintendo answered the call. According to Nintendo’s own backward compatibility tracker, the Switch 2 plays almost every first- and third-party Nintendo game without a hitch.

This means that if you already have a library of games for the original Switch console, you can bring almost everything with you when you upgrade. By migrating your data from an original Switch to the Switch 2, you can effortlessly transfer save data, user profiles, and downloaded games to your new console and start playing right away.

You’ll need to get to grips with Nintendo’s virtual game card system in order to transfer digital licenses between old and new consoles but be reassured that both the original Switch and its successor can co-exist relatively peacefully (and even transfer save files over the air with the aid of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription).

Many Games Run Better, Even Without Updates

On account of the updated Switch 2 hardware, Nintendo is using some form of software emulation as a compatibility layer to run old games on the new hardware. This is the same approach Apple took in order to get older Mac apps running on Apple silicon chips after moving away from Intel models. Nintendo’s solution is similarly impressive.

What’s most intriguing is the fact that many older games that haven’t received any updates to take advantage of the new hardware are performing noticeably better than they did on original Switch hardware. YouTube channels GVG and Digital Foundry have already demonstrated how the Switch 2 is capable of “fixing” older Switch titles, particularly those with an unlocked frame rate.

Perhaps the most illuminating example of this is Dragon Quest Builders 2, a Switch game with an uncapped frame rate that often struggled to hit 30 FPS in open areas. On the Switch 2, the game hits a locked 60 FPS in these areas. In dense, user-created levels the game would struggle at around 10 FPS on original Switch hardware, but GVG demonstrated a three-fold increase to around 30 FPS on the Switch 2.

Digital Foundry chose instead to hone in on Batman: Arkham Knight, a title that the channel regards as one of the worst examples of a game release in recent history. The Switch version of Arkham Knight spends a lot of time at 15 FPS, whereas the Switch 2 doubles this to 30 (and it could potentially go even higher if the frame rate wasn’t locked).

But the good news doesn’t stop there. Bayonetta 2 is a Switch title that regularly dips from 60 to 40 FPS, a problem that doesn’t seem to occur at all on the Switch 2. Bayonetta 3 is another game that can dip randomly, an issue that is similarly absent on the Switch 2.

Hyrule Warriors is another uncapped game that targeted 60 FPS on the original Switch hardware. The game routinely renders hundreds of enemies at a time, causing the frame rate to tank to around 30 at its worst. I broke the game out and gave it a whirl, and was delighted to see that during even protracted combos and finishing moves, the game is now silky smooth (though the cutscenes are locked at 30 FPS).

Finally, The Witcher 3 was a technical marvel when it landed on the Switch. It was a port that punched well above its weight in terms of what many believed was possible with underpowered Switch hardware, but dips to below 20 weren’t uncommon. As you’ve probably guessed by now, the Switch 2 locks Geralt’s adventure at 30 frames per second. But that’s not all…

Some Games Even Look Better

Digital Foundry’s coverage of The Witcher 3 on Switch 2 is particularly interesting as it highlights a bonus side-effect of that extra power. Because the game scales its resolution based on performance, the worse the game performs, the more the resolution decreases in order to free up additional resources.

Dynamic resolution scaling is designed to reduce hardware overhead, dropping the visual fidelity along with the frame rate, then increasing it again as performance recovers. Because The Witcher 3 sails along at a relatively locked 30 FPS on Switch 2, dynamic resolution scaling doesn’t kick in anywhere near as hard.

The result is a game that not only performs better but does so at a higher resolution. Even without patches to specifically adapt a game for Nintendo’s latest hardware, releases that use this technique could end up looking better on the newer console simply by virtue of the more powerful processor.

Switch 2 Enhanced Editions Are Even Better

Keep in mind that unpatched original Switch games running on the Switch 2 are doing so with no optimization whatsoever, and going through Nintendo’s own compatibility layer. This is great news for anyone who is looking forward to picking up old games with more stable frame rates, even if developers have no plans to patch them up.

But one thing that’s become commonplace during the last generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles is the concept of a next-gen patch. These take the form of paid and free updates, optimizing a game for new hardware to take advantage of higher native resolutions and HDR. These often include a move to higher frame rates.

The Switch 2 already has its fair share of these. You can pay $10 for each enhanced version of Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, while other publishers are getting in on the action with cheaper patches like Fantasy Life i’s $2.59 Switch 2 patch.

Other games are getting completely free upgrades, including Super Mario Odyssey, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. The latter was the first game I tried out on my Switch 2, and the difference between the two versions is night and day.

Not only does the Switch 2-enhanced version lack the hitching and frame drops that overshadowed the original release, but it also does so at a higher resolution with full support for HDR output. It’s impressive how far a patch can go toward fixing a game—and to receive it for free is a huge bonus.

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Though many will be picking up a Switch 2 to play exclusive games like Mario Kart World and the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza, it’s no secret that the original Switch hardware has felt outdated and quite some time. Big releases like Tears of the Kingdom could have undoubtedly benefited from a more performant console, and rediscovering classics like Super Mario Odyssey and Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker via Switch 2-optimized versions is a compelling bonus.

Even without this special treatment, it’s encouraging to learn that the Switch 2 can alleviate some of the performance bottlenecks present on the original console.