Those lucky enough to get a Nintendo Switch 2 before its official launch will only have a rather expensive paperweight on their hands until the system's day one update goes live, according to new online reports.
As reported by Wario64 on X following a short YouTube video featuring a quick unboxing of the system, which has since been removed but has been saved for posterity by Culture Crave, a user who got an early unit of the console confirmed that the console cannot play any game, neither Switch 1 nor Switch 2 games, without downloading the day 1 update which cannot be done as of now, as the update function will not be available before June 5th, the day the system officially launches worldwide.
Another person shared with me that they have a Nintendo Switch 2 as well. I have no permission to post pics but can share that when they try to boot a Switch 1 game, a message prompts "Please connect to the internet and update your system."
Needs update to boot a game pic.twitter.com/18TU7Skk1D
— Wario64 (@Wario64) May 27, 2025
Though disappointing, the Nintendo Switch 2 not being able to play any game before its official release date next week will have no impact on the popularity of a system that is rightly expected to be a massive success. Launching with the system on June 5th are plenty of games that will definitely contribute to the system's popularity, such as Mario Kart World, which will likely feature a reverse track mode as suggested by some recent footage, and a slew of third-party developers ports such as Cyberpunk 2077, which is already showing well before release what the system is capable of, Hogwarts Legacy and a few others. The immediate future is also looking bright, with games like Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4: Echoes and others launching in 2026 and beyond, which may be able to deliver better visuals and performance by using more of the system resources than the launch window games, according to rumors.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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