With the Nintendo Switch 2 set to launch on June 5th and pre-orders already proving popular, Nintendo has officially updated its website to reconfirm which first-party Switch games will be getting free upgrades for the new console. While we already know that many original Switch games will be compatible with the Switch 2, some titles will require a paid upgrade, while others are getting updated for free, and naturally, it’s the free ones that you may be interested in.

Here are the 12 games that have been reconfirmed to receive free Nintendo Switch 2 upgrades:

• ARMS
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
• Game Builder Garage
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
• Pokemon Scarlet
• Pokemon Violet
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
• Super Mario Odyssey

Free upgrade versus a paid upgrade

If you want to learn more about what paid upgrades do to enhance your experience on the Switch 2, we recommend you check out Nintendo’s website for more details, which goes over a list of Switch 2 Edition games and their upgrade details. As for the free upgrades, knowing what has changed is less obvious.

Nintendo hasn’t been transparent about what these free upgrades actually do to improve the experience on the Switch 2. So far, the official line is that the free upgrades will “improve playability,” but in what way, exactly? Our guess is that these improvements will involve some sort of resolution and frame rate boost, similar to what we saw with Donkey Kong Bananza, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

“Free updates to improve playability on the Nintendo Switch 2 system will be released for select Nintendo Switch games. By connecting your Nintendo Switch 2 to the internet, you can download free updates that may improve performance or add support for features such as GameShare in select games. The contents of these free updates will differ depending on the game.”

Source: Nintendo

Something that isn’t immediately clear is what determines whether a game gets a free upgrade or a paid one. For example, two of the top-down Zelda games on Switch are getting free Switch 2 upgrades, while Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will require you to pay for theirs.

Is it about the amount of work that goes into the upgrade, or how much of a difference it makes over the original version? We suspect a little bit of both. That said, Nintendo’s exclusive titles are one of the most compelling reasons to own the Switch sequel, so you can expect to see some meaningful upgrades.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.