Summary
- Switch 2 confirmed for upgraded versions of popular games like Breath of the Wild & Pokemon Legends
- Backwards compatibility assured for Switch 1 games on Switch 2, new content for paid upgrades suggested
- Improvements like mouse controls, resolution, and framerate seen as vital for games like Mario Maker 2 on Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 has already been confirmed to breathe new life into some original Nintendo Switch games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are just two of the first wave of titles that will see performance improvements on Nintendo's new hardware. With improved resolution, smoother framerates, HDR support, and mouse control implementation on the table, many Switch games deserve Switch 2 upgrade packs next. However, the 10 in the list below are the ones that stand out purely based on their popularity, current performance issues on the original Switch hardware, or feel like a great fit for the Switch 2's mouse controls.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with the Switch 1, even if games don't get a free or paid Switch 2 upgrade. However, some games and apps have compatibility issues on Switch 2.
Every Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade Game Confirmed For Launch
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be home to upgraded versions of several top-selling titles, hopefully making it the best place to play such games.
1 Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Mario's Most Recent Outing Deserves Sharper Visuals
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks great on the Nintendo Switch, but as a flagship franchise for Nintendo systems, there's always room for improvement. Giving the game a 4K overhaul when docked and increasing the framerate to 120 Hz would help improve the look and feel of the titular plumber's platforming antics. HDR support also seems like an obvious choice here, due to how vibrant the levels of Super Mario Bros. Wonder are.
Some games are also receiving additional content if they get paid Switch 2 upgrade packs. Some more worlds filled with challenging levels would give players a reason to return to Super Mario Bros. World ahead of any future Switch 2 exclusive Mario title.
2 Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Improved Framerate and Visuals for This Open-World Pokemon Game
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Released
- January 28, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Pokemon Legends: Arceus was the first time the series properly experimented with what players would typically call an open-world setting. It also offered up an entirely new take on the typical Pokemon series formula both with how players interacted with wild Pokemon, but the overarching storyline and gameplay mechanics. However, with all this ambition came a plethora of performance problems. Choppy framerates were most noticeable with Pokemon moving in the distance, object pop-in was a regular occurrence, and the resolution in general was pretty poor. Tie that in with an enormous world that didn't have enough going on in it, likely due to the technical limitations of the Nintendo Switch, and the game showed so much ambition but failed to truly execute on it.
A Switch 2 upgrade would allow Pokemon Legends: Arceus to realize that ambition. Improving the framerate and resolution would be the priority, but HDR support to bring the world to life and fill it out with more wild Pokemon and things to see could help address the majority of the performance issues the game suffered from when it originally released. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A due to release later in October, it feels fitting that its predecessor should get an overhaul for players returning before diving into the new entry.
3 Super Mario Maker 2
Mouse Controls Would Make Super Mario Maker 2 Even More Magical
Super Mario Maker 2
- Released
- June 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Super Mario Maker 2 was a love letter to classic Mario platforming fans. Offering up over 100 original levels for players to put their skills to the test, it also offered wannabe game designers the opportunity to create their own Mario levels with all manner of obstacles, enemies, and items that could be placed wherever they wanted. These user-created levels could then be shared online and downloaded by other players, essentially offering up a never-ending supply of content for platforming aficionados.
Aside from a slight resolution improvement, Super Mario Maker 2 feels like it would benefit most from mouse control support. Being able to use a Joy-Con as a mouse to select different items and obstacles before dragging and dropping them into place would be far more convenient than using touchscreen controls or analog sticks. Nintendo could even include a Super Mario Bros. Wonder theme with unique objects it introduced into the mix, too.
4 Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
A Visual Overhaul for This Huge RPG
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
- Released
- May 29, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition could have been replaced with any (or all) of the Xenoblade Chronicles games on the Nintendo Switch, and fans would no doubt be happy. The open-world RPG series is known for its sprawling world, offering up hundreds of hours of action-RPG goodness. The issue has always been that the games really struggle when it comes to visual fidelity and performance on the 2017 system.
A Switch 2 upgrade for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, or all entries in the series that made it to the Switch, that offers up a 1080p resolution running at 60 fps would be more than enough to keep most players happy. All hope is not lost here either, with Polygon reporting that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition contains an unused 60 FPS mode in the game's code. Fans have suggested that this might point to the game receiving a Switch 2 update to enable this once the system releases. Whether other entries in the series get the same treatment remains to be seen.
5 Metroid Prime: Remastered
A Perfect Title for Mouse Controls
Metroid Prime Remastered
- Released
- February 8, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Metroidvania
Metroid Prime: Remastered is another title that feels well-suited to a Switch 2 upgrade. It's a Nintendo-exclusive franchise, a new entry in the series is due to release later this year, and its FPS action would be a great fit for the Switch 2's mouse controls. With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond also set to have mouse control support, there's ample reason to believe this could happen. If Nintendo were to bring Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption remasters to the Nintendo Switch 2, fans would hope for improved framerates, resolutions, and mouse control support here, too. Nothing has been announced regarding ports of these entries in the franchise, but fans can hope.
6 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
In Dire Need of a Framerate Boost
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
- Released
- November 20, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action
The Legend of Zelda spin on the Dynasty Warriors series takes the screen-filling action of the latter and places it in the world of Hyrule. Cue hundreds of Moblins and Lizalfos swarming players' characters of choice as they hack and slash through the crowd. All of this came with one major downside. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's framerate would be incredibly inconsistent and choppy. This would only get worse when playing the game in split-screen co-op.
With more technical horsepower available, a Switch 2 upgrade could resolve this issue. A bit of additional content would also give players a reason to revisit the title if they'd already finished it. All of this would serve as a means of generating plenty of hype for any unannounced future entries in the series that might currently be in development.
7 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Improved Visuals and a Smoother Framerate for Packed Islands
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
Animal Crossing: New Horizons very much became THE pandemic game for many players around the world. As of March 31, 2025, it's also the second-best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch with 47.82 million units sold. With numerous free updates and two paid DLCs, the game has already seen a ton of support, but with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, there are a few things that Nintendo could introduce to entice fans back to their islands.
An enhanced resolution and smoother framerate would be more than welcome. When islands get particularly packed with flowers, trees, and decorations littered everywhere, the framerate can take a hit. Fans aren't going to say no to seeing their islands in greater detail, either. As this is one of the best-selling Switch games, it might also be a candidate for a paid Switch 2 upgrade pack. Similar to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, New Horizons could get a smartphone app where players could design items on their phone, send messages to friends on their friends list, check their in-game mail, and quickly check their collection of bugs, fish, fossils, and paintings to show friends without loading the game up.
10 Best Nintendo Switch Games For Both Single-Player And Multiplayer
It's not always easy to find a game that caters to both single-player and multiplayer preferences, but these Nintendo Switch games fit the bill.
8 The Witcher 3
Performance Parity with Other Systems
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of the best-looking games of the time when it released on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 back in 2015. However, its Nintendo Switch release struggled to match this visual fidelity. With CD Projekt Red bringing its more recent sprawling open-world title to the Switch 2 in Cyberpunk: 2077 and the studio's next-gen patches for The Witcher 3 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, it stands to reason that a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade might not be out of the realms of possibility.
An improved framerate and a serious upgrade in resolution and graphical detail, increased draw distances, and HDR support for good measure, would not only help the game look as good on the Switch 2 as it does on the last-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but would also act as a showcase of what the system is capable of.
9 Pikmin 4
A Great Candidate for Mouse Controls
Pikmin 4
- Released
- July 21, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Adventure
Pikmin 4 was the first mainline entry in the series for 10 years when it released on Nintendo Switch and introduced players to new Pikmin types and the adorable dog-like creature, Oatchi. Despite these new additions, the core gameplay largely remained unchanged, with players having to guide their ever-growing crop of Pikmin through stages to move obstacles, defeat alien creatures, solve puzzles, and rescue stranded travelers. While the controls work well enough, there are a few things a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade could bring.
First would be an improvement to the framerate. Graphically, the game looks great, but the 30 FPS framerate makes the action feel all too choppy for this day and age. The main draw of a Switch 2 upgrade would be mouse controls. Being able to click around the world to guide an army of Pikmin would be far more intuitive than typical gamepad controls.
Throwing in some additional content to round out the package would help seal the deal, especially if it were a paid upgrade pack. Some additional levels, and maybe a sneak peek at a new type of Pikmin that could get a proper debut in a potential next entry in the series, would be a nice little package for fans to dive into.
10 Splatoon 3
A Fresh Lick of Paint and Mouse Controls for Nintendo's Inky Shooter
Splatoon 3
- Released
- September 9, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Cartoon Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Nintendo's family-friendly shooter series will likely get a new entry on the Switch 2 at some point in the future, but in the meantime, an upgrade to Splatoon 3 that offers up some meaningful quality-of-life improvements certainly wouldn't go amiss.
Mouse controls, a higher resolution, and HDR support would be top of the list. The vibrant paint would really pop on a compatible display thanks to HDR support, and the mouse controls feel like a perfect fit for the shooter gameplay. New weapons, maps, and game modes would encourage players to return to the nearly three-year-old shooter, but Nintendo may choose to save any new content ideas for the inevitable sequel.
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Operating System
- Proprietary
- Storage
- 256GB internal / MicroSD
- Resolution
- 1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- App Store
- Nintendo eShop
- Wi-Fi
- Yes