Some Wii U games will go down in history thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2

Dozens of Wii U games will be available in three consecutive generations Nintendo console once the Switch 2 is finally released. This has never happened before in Nintendo history.

While the Japanese gaming giant hasn't always offered backwards compatibility, its efforts to focus on such capabilities intensified in the mid-2000s. But the Switch broke that pattern as the first Nintendo home console since 2001 that wasn't compatible with its predecessor's game library. That's why some vocal fans have long insisted that backwards compatibility is a must for the Switch 2 — a sentiment that Nintendo seems to agree with when it recently confirmed that its next console will indeed offer the feature.

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One of the side effects of the Switch 2's backwards compatibility is that some games from the Wii U era are now guaranteed to be available on three consecutive generations of Nintendo consoles. As Game File's Stephen Totilo originally noted, this has never happened before. Of the 12 consoles released by Nintendo since 1985, only half were backward compatible with their immediate predecessors, and none were capable of playing titles spanning two generations of hardware. Although the Switch offers no backwards compatibility, it has received plenty of games for the Wii U over the years. This is in no way because the Wii U was significantly underpowered, so many of its titles were new to Switch owners.

At least 36 Wii U games will be available on Nintendo Switch 2

Game Rant has identified 35 Wii U games that have been ported to Nintendo's hybrid console over the years. These include cross-gen titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and expanded editions in spirit Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and New Super Mario Bros. At Deluxe. Although many of these are first-party games, a number of third-party offerings such as LEGO City: The Secret and Knight of Shovels: Treasure Trove have been available across the last two generations of Nintendo consoles and are thus guaranteed to be playable on the Switch 2. They will be joined by at least one more game in the form of the recently announced Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Editionwhich is scheduled for release in March 2025.

All Wii U games ported to Nintendo Switch

Seeing how some high-profile Wii U games are still missing from the Switch, there's a chance this list will continue to expand beyond just the new release. Xenoblade Chronicles X. And while Nintendo's track record suggests that its next console after the Switch 2 won't be directly backwards compatible with the Switch library, the fact that these games are about to make history by spanning three consecutive generations of Nintendo consoles serves as a reminder that there first time for everything

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September 23, 1889

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