Why did Nintendo make Switch 2 backwards compatible? ‘It’s the best direction for consumers’

Nintendo has released a brief statement on its decision to make Switch 2 backwards compatible with original Nintendo Switch games.

In its announce trailer showing Switch 2 for the first time published this week, Nintendo reiterated that Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with existing Switch games, with the caveat that not every game will be fully playable on its new console.

In a new statement given to Game File, the company explained that it felt that backwards compatibility was “the best direction to take” for consumers, and said that more details on exactly which games will and won’t be compatible will be released later.

“Nintendo Switch is played by many consumers, and we decided that the best direction to take would be for consumers to be able to play their already purchased Nintendo Switch software on the successor to Nintendo Switch,” a spokesperson said.

“As a result of that thinking, Nintendo Switch 2 plays Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2. Details will be shared on the Nintendo website at a later date.

“We have nothing more to announce on this topic. For more details on Nintendo Switch 2, please tune in for the Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025, which will air on April 2, 2025.”

It’s possible that Nintendo’s compatibility warning is referencing Switch games that would not be possible to play on Switch 2 due to hardware changes, such as the Labo series, which are designed for the smaller Switch 2 Joy-Cons.

Similar exclusions have appeared on previous consoles with backwards compatibility support. For example, while Xbox Series X/S can play practically any Xbox One game, it doesn’t support Xbox One games that require the Kinect sensor, because Series X/S doesn’t support the peripheral.