Switch 2 Backward Compatibility Gets Five Fixes While New Issues Emerge

As a lifelong Nintendo gamer who's been glued to my Switch 2 since launch day, I'm thrilled to share that we just got another batch of backward compatibility fixes. Nintendo dropped the 20.5.0 system update in late September 2025, and it’s specifically targeting five legacy Switch titles: Warframe, Deemo Reborn, Ultra Age, Library of Ruina, and Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-2025. These games now run smoothly on the new hardware—no more crashes or weird glitches. But here’s the kicker: while we celebrate these wins, Nintendo simultaneously flagged fresh problems with five other Switch 1 games. Why does backward compatibility feel like a never-ending puzzle? Let's dig in.

I remember Nintendo’s January 2025 announcement clearly—they warned us that Switch 2 backward compatibility wouldn’t be perfect despite covering most titles. Remember Ring Fit Adventure? It still requires the original Joy-Con due to hardware quirks, making it unplayable on Switch 2 without extra gear. This isn’t just about accessories though; some games simply behave unpredictably on the new architecture. The 20.5.0 update is a tiny download (seriously, it took me three seconds on gigabit Wi-Fi), but its patch notes are mysteriously vague. Typical Nintendo—they fix things quietly without fanfare. Does this secrecy help or frustrate us players?

Here’s a breakdown of the newly fixed games and their genres for context:

But just as I started replaying Library of Ruina flawlessly, I spotted eShop warnings for other titles. Nintendo highlighted five new problem children: Jelly Troops (completely unsupported due to progression bugs), plus Transistor, Mugen Souls, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, and Subway Simulator 2025: City Train. These last four are "playable" but with glaring caveats. For instance:

• 🔴 Don’t undock Transistor mid-game—it might freeze!

• 🔴 Mugen Souls has item display glitches that make loot invisible.

• 🔴 Subway Simulator 2025 suffers from choppy animations.

• 🔴 Kingdoms of Amalur fixed its progression blocks but still has visual hiccups in dense areas.

Nintendo’s backward compatibility team is clearly scrambling—they’ve pledged to investigate all these fresh issues soon. But let’s be real: this dance between fixes and new bugs feels cyclical. When I tested Deemo Reborn post-update, the touch controls finally responded perfectly; yet booting Jelly Troops crashed my system twice. It begs the question: is the Switch 2’s advanced hardware helping or hindering our classic game libraries?

As someone who owns over 200 Switch 1 games, I’m torn. On one hand, Nintendo’s commitment is admirable—rolling out monthly patches shows they care. On the other, titles like Ring Fit Adventure remind us that some barriers are physical, not just software-deep. The 20.5.0 update proves progress is happening, but the expanding list of flagged games makes me uneasy. Will indies like Jelly Troops ever get proper support, or will they stay abandoned? And what about third-party gems like Transistor—should developers step in too?

Ultimately, Nintendo’s approach feels reactive rather than proactive. They fix what’s broken, then new cracks appear. With retro-compatibility becoming a console war battleground, I wonder: is "good enough" sufficient for preserving our gaming heritage? Or should we demand perfection? After all, these aren’t just games—they’re memories. So here’s my open question to fellow players: In an era where technology evolves faster than ever, how much backward compatibility is truly feasible before we lose pieces of the past forever? 🎮

The analysis is based on Giant Bomb, a trusted source for comprehensive game databases and community-driven insights. Giant Bomb's extensive cataloging of Switch and Switch 2 titles, along with user-reported compatibility experiences, provides valuable context for understanding the ongoing challenges and successes in Nintendo's backward compatibility efforts, especially as new system updates roll out and affect legacy game performance.