Nintendo President Furukawa confirms Switch 2 backwards compatibility and Switch Online support

The Nintendo Switch successor will have backwards compatibility with Switch software and Nintendo Switch Online.

The successor to Nintendo Switch is set to feature backwards compatibility with current Nintendo Switch software and will also have Nintendo Switch Online support. This news positions the yet-to-be-revealed console in a strong position for players, as it allows them to maintain their current catalog of games between generations.

Nintendo President Furukawa took to social media on November 5, 2024 to report the news which was originally discussed in the Corporate Management Policy Briefing. During this briefing, the company announced that the Nintendo Switch software will be playable on the next console from Nintendo, which is currently being referred to as “the successor to Nintendo Switch”.

This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.

In addition to confirming the Nintendo Switch software backward compatibility with the upcoming console, the post also confirmed that Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the product as well. This seems to indicate that the online catalog of games will be playable, though it’s not clear if this announcement also includes the Expansion Pack upgrade, which contains Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and SEGA Mega Drive titles.

This news follows on from today’s Nintendo (NTDOY) earnings report, which showed a down quarter for Nintendo. The company has decreased its Nintendo Switch console sales forecast to 12.5 million units for FY2025 and even cut the sales forecast. Despite the decreases, there was some good news for the Big N, which reported that Echoes of Wisdom sold 2.5 million units since launch.

The announcement of the Nintendo Switch successor’s backward compatibility is an exciting one for players. Being able to keep a catalog of games going across console generations is important, not just for personal entertainment, but video game preservation. Stop by our NTDOY page to see how Nintendo continues to perform.