For the most part, any game that you currently enjoy on your Nintendo Switch will be playable on the Nintendo Switch 2 from the moment the Switch 2 launches this coming June.
However, some games have already been listed as having compatibility issues or start-up issues, each of which is being investigated. And then there's one lonely game that Nintendo has already said will absolutely not be playable on Nintendo Switch 2: the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 4: VR Kit.
The other Labo cardboard accessories for Nintendo Switch can still work fine, with the caveat that you won't be able to use the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 controllers; you will need to keep a pair of original Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons handy. For the VR Labo kit, Nintendo explains the reason it won't work is that the cardboard VR headset just wasn't built for the Nintendo Switch 2.
"The Nintendo Switch 2 console cannot be inserted into the Toy-Con VR Goggles accessory, so this game cannot be played," Nintendo states on its website.
Regarding the games that have either start-up or compatibility issues, as stated earlier, Nintendo does indicate that these issues are being looked into, which means they could all be fixed by the time the Switch 2 launches. Or, more likely, each game will receive an individual patch that marks any issues as resolved, making them perfectly playable on Nintendo Switch 2.
Some of the games listed, though, are a bit mind-boggling. Fortnite, for example, is listed as having start-up issues, but instead of fixing them, Epic Games will just be making a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game. So if you play Fortnite on your Switch, and you get a Nintendo Switch 2, you'll need to make sure you have the Nintendo Switch 2 version downloaded.
Which is pretty much exactly how PlayStation dealt with different versions of games on PS5 and PS4. Hopefully, that's not the case for all these games, though, as there are more than 120 games listed with start-up issues, and then another 40+ games that will start on your Nintendo Switch 2 but will have compatibility issues.
Here are some of the notable games with start-up issues on Nintendo Switch 2:
- Another Crab's Treasure
- Batman: The Enemy Within
- Botany Manor
- Darksiders Genesis
- DOOM: Eternal
- Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
- Everspace
- Final Fantasy
- Fitness Boxing
- Fortnite
- Gang Beasts
- GRID Autosport
- Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection
- Kill la Kill - IF
- Little Nightmares: Complete Edition
- Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame
- Nascar Rivals
- NBA 2K18
- NBA 2K25
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
- Nobody Saves the World
- Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
- Pizza Tower
- Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
- RiMS Racing
- River City Girls Zero
- Rocket League
- Roller Champions
- South Park: Fractured But Whole
- Star Wars Episode I: Racer
- Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
- The Jackbox Party Pack
- The Jackbox Party Pack 2
- The Journey Down Trilogy
- The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition
- Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
- Trove
- Trover Saves the Universe
- Warframe
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- World of Tanks Blitz
These are the notable games that Nintendo says will start-up on Nintendo Switch 2, but then include some in-game compatibility issues:
- Alan Wake Remastered
- Alien: Isolation
- Asphalt Legends Unite
- Factorio
- Fall Guys
- Hitman 3 - Cloud Version
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Just Dance 2019
- Mega Man Legacy Collection
- MotoGP 21
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat
- Pocoyo Party
- Saints Row IV: Re-Elected
- Steven Universe: Save the Light
- Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection
- Stumble Guys
Lastly, these are the games that you can play on Nintendo Switch 2, but you'll need to play them with original Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers:
- Ring Fit Adventure
- 1-2 Switch
- Everybody 1-2 Switch
- Game Builder Garage
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- WarioWare: Move It!
- Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit
- Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 02: Robot Kit
- Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Vehicle Kit
