Summary
- Some Nintendo Switch 2 games will be compatible with the original Switch, allowing both versions to be stored on a single cartridge.
- Marvelous Inc. cleverly includes both the original game and the Upgrade Pack on one 64GB card.
- No downloads required; simply insert the game card into either console for automatic launch.
It’s common knowledge: when you get a game for a new console, it won’t work if you play it on an older device. However, in a strange twist, it seems that may not hold true with the Switch 2. We’re receiving reports that some, but not all, Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges will fit in an original Switch. However, please note that the graphical fidelity will not be the same as when playing on the newer console.
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Some Nintendo Switch 2 games will work on the original Switch
Source: Nintendo
As spotted by DigitalTrends, game developer Marvelous Inc. wrote a blog post about its upcoming title, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. As it turns out, if you purchase the physical Nintendo Switch 2 cartridge, it will fit just fine into your original Switch. On top of that, it’ll let you play the regular Switch version of Rune Factory without all the Switch 2 bells and whistles.
How did Marvelous Inc. do this? Well, it did something very clever with what it put on the cartridge. Inside the little red box is both the Nintendo Switch version of the game and the game’s Switch 2 Upgrade Pack. If you missed it on the Switch 2 Direct, some original Switch games will get an Upgrade Pack that takes advantage of the Switch 2’s new hardware, and even adds new content.
By packaging both the original Switch game and the Upgrade Pack into one cartridge, Marvelous Inc. can make one cartridge cover two bases:
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a red 64GB game card that includes, in full, the Nintendo Switch game and the Upgrade Pack.
There’s no need to download the full game: simply insert the card into either a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 console, and the correct version will launch automatically.
Like most modern titles, there may be small updates or patches available at launch to provide minor fixes and improvements, but rest assured: the complete game is on the game card, ready to play from day one.
This also means that Switch 2 cartridges can fit with the original Switch. In the past, when Nintendo released a new cartridge-based system, it would modify the cartridge’s design slightly so that it couldn’t be physically plugged into an older console. This no longer seems to be the case, with Nintendo instead relying on the Switch 2’s striking red cartridges to let people know which game goes where.
