The Nintendo Switch successor, dubbed Switch 2, will feature backward compatibility support, based on the latest rumor.
Well-known insider Nate the Hate has shared that, as per his sources, the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature backward compatibility support. He shared this information in response to news regarding Nintendo assembler Hosiden spending 2 billion Yen on production equipment and 1 billion Yen on automation during March, 2025 for its major customer in amusement i.e. Nintendo.
Backward compatibility is a bit of a no-brainer for the Nintendo Switch 2, and this wouldn’t be the first time the feature has been hinted at for the console. The same insider had earlier shared on gaming enthusiast forum Reset Era that partner game developers are currently testing the backward compatibility functionality of the unannounced hardware. However, he mentioned that the extent of any graphical enhancements that the functionality may provide is currently unknown. Prior to that, Nate had expressed doubt regarding any significant performance boosts for backward compatible games, predicting minor enhancements at best. He had speculated that developers would opt to re-release games with updates rather than providing patches to offset costs.
Back in October, 2023, during an interview, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser had hinted at the strong possibility of the Switch 2 supporting backwards compatibility. He was asked whether he has thought about helping those people who will be making the transition from the existing console to the next platform while reassuring them that their content and investment in the Switch will somehow transfer to its successor. Bowser responded by stating that one thing Nintendo has already done with the Switch with regards to the communication of this transition is the formation of the Nintendo Account. In the past, every device Nintendo console users transitioned to had a whole new account system. According to him, creating the Nintendo Account has allowed the console maker to communicate with with players that if and when it makes a transition to a new platform, it will help ease that process or transition.
