Nintendo Switch: Is It Backwards Compatible?

Is It Backwards Compatible? – Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has a very large library of games, and although the Wii U had a relatively short life, it also had quite a few games that fans picking up a Nintendo Switch may have missed out on. So it’s no wonder that people would like to know if the home console/handheld hybrid is backwards compatible. To put the answer simply: it unfortunately isn’t.

The Nintendo Switch uses small cartridges and has no disc slot, so there’s no way it could play Wii U or Wii games. There is a chance, though, that it may allow you to purchase both Wii and Wii U games digitally through the eShop.

The Virtual Console is a way to purchase retro and classic titles from Nintendo’s celebrated history, so that is a form of backwards compatibility. We don’t yet know, though, if purchases you’ve already made on other Nintendo consoles will be valid on the new system. Hopefully they will be so you can just keep on gaming and not have to re-purchase any games you already own. Unfortunately, the Virtual Console won’t be available for players to use on launch day, and will instead be made available through a future software update.

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