The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here, and if you were lucky enough to grab a pre-order, you’re probably already into double figures on your Mario Kart World hour count.
But as excited as we are about new games exclusive to Switch 2, backward compatibility is also a big selling point for this console, especially for those of us who have spent years assembling a huge library of Switch games.
The good news is that many of these, particularly those developed by Nintendo and its partners, have been updated (in some cases for free) to take advantage of the more powerful hardware.
So, even if the improvements are marginal, here are three original Switch games that play better on Switch 2.
Super Mario Odyssey
We want a brand new 3D Mario game as much as the next Nintendo fan, but we’ll take quite literally any excuse to return to Super Mario Odyssey.
Arguably the plumber’s greatest ever outing, this sand-box style adventure sees Nintendo at its most deliriously creative, with so many ideas to show you that it’s happy to play the “Mario possesses an actual T-Rex” card within the first hour.
On Switch 2, an already gorgeous platformer features improved visuals, with higher resolutions and HDR, as well as support for Nintendo’s new GameShare tech.
Can we tick off all 800+ moons before Odyssey’s inevitable successor arrives? We’re happy to accept the challenge.
ARMS
ARMS was a launch title for the original Switch that Nintendo has hardly mentioned since. But it isn’t being forgotten about as the company ushers in its new console.
If you fire up your copy of this one-of-a-kind fighting game, in which you brawl using extendable arms, you can expect “optimised” visuals that make the game look sharper on both the handheld display and TV, with added support for HDR.
Nintendo claims the game also gets a frame rate bump-up, which is welcome in any game, but is especially helpful in fast–paced fighting games.
It’s not ARMS 2, but we’ll take it.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
A lot of Pokémon fans might be booting up their copy of Pokémon Scarlet and/or Violet on the Switch 2 before they even get to Mario Kart World.
That’s because the first open-world RPG in the long-running series performed famously badly on the original Switch hardware, which really held back an exciting entry in the franchise, and one that the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A looks set to build on.
On Switch 2, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet can now run at 60fps, and while it’s still a bit lacking in visual oomph, it definitely looks a lot smoother in motion than it did on its native hardware.
Giving this another shot should pass the time nicely until Z-A arrives later this year.
