Nintendo’s Switch 2 consoles offer free upgrades to several major Switch 1 titles, providing significant performance and resolution enhancements. These updates, while not branded as remasters, deliver noticeable improvements that enhance gameplay and visual quality.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and its companion title, Echoes of Wisdom, benefit from consistent 60fps gameplay, resolving previous frame-rate fluctuations that ranged between 30 and 60fps. Resolutions increase substantially, from around 720p up to 1620p in docked mode, and from roughly 570p to native 1080p in handheld play, resulting in a sharper visual experience.
Super Mario Odyssey also receives a marked upgrade. Docked resolution nearly doubles from 900p to 1800p, with some HUD elements rendered in native 4K. The game achieves a stable 60fps throughout, eliminating earlier frame-rate drops and improving animation updates, especially in New Donk City. On the handheld Switch 2, the game runs in native 1080p without the horizontal interlacing used on the original Switch.
Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury see similar enhancements. Super Mario 3D World moves from dynamic 1080p to around 1800p and maintains locked 60fps performance. Bowser’s Fury improves from approximately 720p to dynamic 1800p, with handheld mode moving from 30fps capped at 720p to a full 60fps 1080p experience on Switch 2. Loading times are also notably reduced by up to 50% in Bowser’s Fury.
Splatoon 3 receives a surprise free upgrade, jumping from dynamic 1080p to dynamic 4K resolution docked, with a locked 60fps frame rate. City hub areas now run at 60fps instead of 30fps, while handheld mode improves from 720p60 to 1080p60.
Other titles see moderate improvements. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker rises from 1080p to 1440p in docked mode with smoother visuals, while handheld mode is boosted from 720p to 1080p, both at 60fps. New Super Mario Bros U increases from 1080p to native 4K with stable 60fps but gains less visible benefit due to its art style. HDR enhancements on this title are minimal and appear to be basic brightness adjustments rather than full HDR treatment.
Overall, these free upgrades leverage Switch 2’s improved CPU and GPU to resolve performance issues and enhance image quality, especially delivering crisp visuals on 4K displays and maximizing handheld 1080p panels. While further upgrades for other Nintendo franchises would be appreciated, the current batch offers compelling reasons to revisit or newly purchase these enhanced games.