Nintendo is having a massive year. We are leaving the Nintendo Switch and moving on to the latest console offering, the Nintendo Switch 2. This console was first teased at the start of the year with a Nintendo Direct in April, which fully showcased the console. However, the main focus was June 5, 2025, the date when we would actually get our hands on the console.
It’s been a game console that fans have been waiting on for a long while now. Hopefully, you managed to secure a pre-order or were lucky enough to find a console available at your local retailer. However, if you noticed previous reports that saw some console units get to the hands of players before release, it wasn’t a playable device. Instead, a day-one patch update was required to use the console as intended.
That might have left more than a few fans concerned that they would be stuck with a console that wouldn’t be playable due to not having immediate access to the internet. Fortunately, we’re finding that you can bypass this setup process without actually connecting the console to the web.
Today, thanks to Does It Play on X, we’re discovering that the Nintendo Switch 2 can update to the required 19.1.0 firmware through a launch game card. Straight out of the box, you’ll find the console is stuck with a 19.0.0 firmware, and even inserting original Nintendo Switch games will be unplayable. What you’ll find is an error message that states you need to update the system when you try to load a Switch game up.
Fortunately, you can take a simple step to update and make your system playable. Does It Play reveals that all you need to do is use one of the launch games, as that will trigger a 19.1.0 update from the cart. After that, you should be good to go with the console.