According to Universo Nintendo (and spotted by Eurogamer), Nintendo's next console will be backwards compatible with both digital and physical first-generation Nintendo Switch games. Even more excitingly, the same source suggests that developers will be able to “enhance” their games to take advantage of the Switch 2’s increased power.

Nintendo Switch's rumored successor may be backward compatible, potentially allowing players to carry over their eShop library and accounts. Nintendo's decision to reuse accounts could smooth out the transition between consoles and could be similar to how PlayStation Store operates with backward compatibility.

Nintendo has traditionally supported backwards compatibility consistently across its platforms. The Wii plays Gamecube games, the Wii U plays Wii games, and the 3DS plays DS games. However, due to the drastic change in form factor, the Nintendo Switch was not backwards compatible with any previous Nintendo consoles.

While little is known about the Nintendo Switch 2, like its release date or internal components, recent leaks indicate the system will offer backwards compatibility. From a financial standpoint, it doesn’t make sense for Nintendo to offer backwards compatibility.