Summary
- Nintendo detailed the Switch 2's day-one update, identified by version number 20.1.1.
- The patch turns the Switch 2 from an expensive paperweight into a proper console, enabling the ability to run games, access online features, and use microSD Express cards.
- The Switch 2 officially releases June 5.
Nintendo has released its first-ever Switch 2 patch notes. The changelog details the console's day-one update, which enables a wide variety of features that essentially turn the Switch 2 into a proper console.
Nintendo's much-anticipated Switch successor is officially slated for release this Thursday, June 5. Separately, the Switch OS received a new update a few days earlier, bumping its version number up to 20.1.1. As the new console largely inherits its predecessor's software setup and library, this OS build is what the Switch 2 will be running on day one.
Nintendo Has Warning for Fans About Switch 2’s Screen
Nintendo issues a warning about the Switch 2 screen reminiscent of an announcement that followed the 2021 release of the Switch OLED Model.
The latest update was initially accompanied by minimal patch notes, listing only a fix for an issue that caused some games to fail to start after upgrading to OS version 20.1.0. However, Nintendo's support pages have since been updated with a more comprehensive changelog, largely focused on the company's next console. The update identifies version 20.1.1 as the mandatory day-one patch the Switch 2 was previously confirmed to require.
A Day Ahead of Its Release, the Switch 2 Can Finally Run Games
The highlight of the early June 2025 patch is the ability to run games. Nintendo opted to lock this feature behind an update in a bid to minimize the risk of gameplay footage leaks in the run-up to the console's release. The move came with some trade-offs, like preventing the press from trying the device in advance and having proper reviews from day one. Any Switch 2 unit spotted in the wild since late May 2025 has thus at last been turned from an expensive paperweight into a proper gaming console with the 20.1.1 release.
The patch also allows the Switch 2 to access the recently revised eShop. Early adopter impressions suggest that Nintendo's digital storefront works much better on its 2025 device than its 2017 predecessor, largely in terms of UI responsiveness and overall performance. With online functionality now fully on board, any Switch 2 unit updated from this point onward is capable of utilizing GameChat and accessing the Nintendo Switch Online library.
The 20.1.1 update also enables several other key features, including support for microSD Express cards. While the Switch 2 uses the same form factor for external storage as its predecessor, it does not work with the older UHS-I microSD cards. The new microSD Express standard offers up to ten times faster average read/write speeds, approaching the performance of the console’s built-in NAND flash memory. Full support for Nintendo's Virtual Game Cards has also been included in this update, together with the ability to link one's Switch 2 with Nintendo's smartphone apps. The Switch 2 should automatically prompt users to install the new update upon first boot in the days ahead.
Nintendo Switch 2 Update 20.1.1 Patch Notes
You can now take advantage of various features of the Nintendo Switch 2, including network functions.
- Use of Nintendo Switch software
- Nintendo Switch Online
- GameChat
- Sharing News
- Transfer all
- Virtual Game Cards
- Nintendo eShop
- Game News
- Upload screenshots and videos to the server
-
Linkage with smartphone apps “Nintendo Parental Controls Switch” and “Nintendo Switch App”
- You will need the Nintendo Switch App to view screenshots and videos uploaded to the server.
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Operating System
- Proprietary
- Storage
- 256GB internal / MicroSD
- Resolution
- 1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- App Store
- Nintendo eShop
- Wi-Fi
- Yes