Gaming fans love backwards compatibility. Having a device that can play your new games and your old games saves space (and money) since you don't need two consoles or two spare HDMI ports. There was understandably a great deal of rejoicing when it was revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be able to play standard Switch games, but there are some exceptions.

Not every game will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2. Some that rely on specific hardware configurations, like Ring Fit Adventure, are obviously going to have issues, but several other titles are also having issues with compatibility.

Nintendo Switch 2 incompatible games

Nintendo released two lists, and the company continues to maintain a ‘status of compatibility tests‘ page, which is due for another update in late April. As for the lists, the first is for games that simply will not load on a Switch 2, while the second is a list of games that will start, but may experience in-game compatibility issues.

Here is the list of games that will not load on the Switch 2 at launch:

• 112 Operator
• A Boy and His Blob Retro Collection
• Abyss Memory Fallen Angel and the Path of Magic
• ACA NEOGEO ART OF FIGHTING 2
• ACA NEOGEO SAMURAI SHODOWN II
• ACA NEOGEO THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’95
• ACA NEOGEO THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’96
• Airhead
• Alchemy Garden
• Another Crab’s Treasure
• Arcade Archives Burger Time
• Arcade Archives CRIME CITY
• Arcade Archives DIG DUG
• Arcade Archives GRADIUS III
• Arcade Archives NEW RALLY-X
• Arcade Archives PAC-LAND
• Arcade Archives XEVIOUS
• Astral Flux
• Baron: Fur Is Gonna Fly
• Batman: The Enemy Within
• Beyond the Ice Palace II
• Boot Hill Bounties
• Boot Hill Heroes
• Botany Manor
• Bus Simulator 2023: City Driver
• Cats Hidden in Italy
• キャッツ・オン・デューティー (Cats On Duty)
• Crazy Strike Bowling EX
• Dadish 2
• Darksiders Genesis.
• Dead by Daylight
• Death Coming
• DOOM: Eternal
• Eggy Party
• ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist
• Everdream Valley
• EVERSPACE
• Fables Mosaic: Snow White
• Felix the Cat
• fig.
• FINAL FANTASY
• Fitness Boxing
• Floor Kids
• Fortnite
• FRAMED Collection
• Gal Guardians: Demon Purge
• Gang Beasts
• Gas Guzzlers Extreme
• GRID Autosport
• Guns Gore and Cannoli
• I Got Isekai’d Into A Shmup
• Inferno 2
• Island Flight Simulator
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection
• Kids vs Parents
• Kill la Kill
• Korean Drone Flying Tour Jeju Island-1
• Kosmokrats
• Library Of Ruina
• Little Nightmares Complete Edition
• Manticore – Galaxy on Fire
• Mexican Train Dominoes Gold
• Monster Loves You Too!
• MODEL Debut #nicola
• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame
• MUSYNX
• NASCAR Rivals Motorsport Games
• NBA 2K18
• NBA 2K25
• Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet
• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
• Nobody Saves the World
• Nova-111
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
• OK K.O.! Let s Play Heroes
• OMG Police – Car Chase TV Simulator
• Onigo Hunter
• Palia
• Perseverance: Complete Edition
• Pineview Drive
• Pizza Tower
• Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
• Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX
• Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles
• RiMS Racing
• River City Girls Zero
• Rocket League
• Roller Champions
• Saviors of Sapphire Wings / Stranger of Sword City Revisited
• Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-fide Edition
• Slayin 2
• Soul Dog TD
• South of the Circle
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole
• Sportitions’24
• STAR WARS Episode I: Racer
• STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster
• Strania -The Stella Machina- EX
• Summer Pockets
• Super Mega Baseball 3
• Super Neptunia RPG
• Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival
• TAITO MILESTONES
• The Cube
• The Jackbox Party Pack
• The Jackbox Party Pack 2
• The Journey Down Trilogy
• The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition
• Touhou Gouyoku Ibu～ Sunken Fossil World
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
• Tricky Towers
• Trip World DX
• トラブル☆ウィッチ ズ　 ふぁいなる！
• Trove
• Trover Saves the Universe
• TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3
• UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe: Late[cl-r]
• Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi
• V-Rally 4
• Warface: Clutch
• Warframe
• Warp Shif
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
• WolfFang 空牙2001 SkullFang 空牙外伝 Saturn Tribute Boosted
• World of Tanks
• Xtreme Sports
• Victor Vran Overkill Edition
• ガレリアの地下迷宮と魔女ノ旅団
• クロ ズド・ナイトメア
• この素晴らしい世界に祝福を！～希望の迷宮と 集いし冒険者たち～Plus
• SENRAN KAGURA Reflexions Marvelous
• Star Melody Yumemi Dreamer
• ファミリ トレ ナ
• ベイブレ ドバ スト バトルゼロ
• Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon
• 黄泉ヲ裂ク華
• Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute
• Process of Elimination
• Tokyo Xanadu eX+
• 明治活劇 ハイカラ流星組 －成敗しませう、世 直し稼業－

Here is the list of games that will boot but experience some issues:

• Alan Wake Remastered
• Alien: Isolation
• Arcade Archives ORDYNE
• Arcade Archives PHELIOS
• Arcade Archives TETRIS THE ABSOLUTE THE GRAND MASTER 2 PLUS
• Arcade Archives TETRIS THE GRAND MASTER
• Asphalt Legends Unite
• Dadish
• Dex
• Dust: An Elysian Tail
• Elderand
• Factorio
• Fall Guys
• Family Chess
• Games Advent Calendar 25 Days 25 Surprises
• Godlike Burger
• HARVESTELLA
• HITMAN 3 Cloud Version
• HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED
• JUST DANCE® 2019
• Klondike Solitaire Baltoro Minis
• Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
• Matchpoint Tennis Championships
• Mega Man Legacy Collection
• MotoGPTM21
• My Brother Rabbit
• Noir Chronicles: City of Crime
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat
• Pocoyo Party
• Port Royale 4
• Raiden IV×MIKADO remix
• Real Car Driving Simulator & Parking 2022 Game
• S.N.I.P.E.R. Hunter Scope
• Saints Row IV®: Re Elected
• SmileBASIC 4
• Steven Universe: Save The Light
• Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
• Stumble Guys.
• うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪All Star for Nintendo Switch
• うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪Amazing Aria & Sweet Serenade LOVE for Nintendo Switch
• うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪Debut for Nintendo Switch
• うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪Repeat LOVE for Nintendo Switch
• ニコニコ
• Pilot Sports
• ぷるきゃらフレンズ~ほっぺちゃんとサンリオキャラク タ ズ~
• 時計仕掛けのレイライン 陽炎に彷徨う魔女
• Neptunia X SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars

There is hope, however. Many of these games are being investigated by Nintendo. So there is the possibility that a patch somewhere down the line could restore functionality for some of these titles.

About the Author

Rebecca Hills-Duty

Writing and journalism experience at VRFocus, UploadVR, The Escapist, HTC, PC Gamer, Tech Radar+ and Dexerto. Can sometimes be found playing with retro tech.