Fortnite Won’t Start on Switch 2? You’re Not Alone — Here’s Why That and Other Games Are Glitching Out

The Nintendo Switch 2 may promise bigger screens and smoother gameplay, but not every title is jumping on board just yet. Here’s why Fortnite and others are struggling.

So… Fortnite Doesn’t Launch on Switch 2 (Yet)

If you were planning to jump into a few rounds of Fortnite on your shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 this June, well… don’t put on that battle pass just yet. As it turns out, the OG Switch version of Fortnite has start-up issues on the next-gen console, and yes—it’s as annoying as it sounds. But before you go full rage-quit, know this: Epic is prepping a Switch 2-specific version of Fortnite to drop on launch day (June 5), so you won’t be locked out for long. Still, the fact that such a massive title isn’t instantly compatible out of the box is raising some eyebrows—and it’s not the only one.

Switch 2 Backward Compatibility Isn’t as Perfect as We Hoped

Nintendo came out swinging with the news that the Switch 2 will support over 15,000 third-party games and 122 first-party Nintendo titles from the original Switch. That’s a big “W” for game preservation—until you look a little closer at the fine print.

A system on Nintendo’s website now shows compatibility statuses à la Steam Deck: fully compatible, start-up issues, in-game issues, or completely incompatible. Spoiler: nothing is totally broken except for the Labo VR Kit, which obviously doesn’t work because the Switch 2 doesn’t fit inside a literal cardboard headset. (RIP Toy-Con.) But there are still 141 games with known start-up issues and another 47 games with in-game compatibility problems. So yeah, it’s more like a “mostly backward compatible” situation.

Popular Games Running Into Problems

Aside from Fortnite, some big-name titles have ended up on the naughty list when it comes to Switch 2 compatibility. Here’s what we know (without turning this into a checklist blog):

• Dead by Daylight, Doom Eternal, Rocket League, Final Fantasy, and Warframe are all confirmed to have start-up issues.
• Games like Alien: Isolation, Overcooked! All You Can Eat, Harvestella, and Fall Guys are playable, but suffer from in-game glitches or performance weirdness.

That means your dream of kicking back with a wholesome game of alien horror or cooperative cooking chaos might get cooked itself—at least temporarily. Thankfully, Nintendo’s working on patches. And while they’re not giving exact ETAs, they’ve acknowledged that investigations are underway to iron out the bugs. So don’t delete your save files in frustration just yet.

Got Joy-Cons? You’ll Probably Still Need the Old Ones

It’s not just software that’s being fussy—some hardware-dependent games are acting up, too. The new Joy-Con 2 controllers, while sleeker and probably more durable than the drift-prone originals, are missing some key features. And it’s causing a bit of a compatibility mess.

If you’ve ever dabbled in motion-based games, you know the IR Motion Camera was kind of a big deal. Joy-Con 2 ditches it. Which means:

• Games like WarioWare: Move It!, 1-2-Switch, and Game Builder Garage lose a chunk of their functionality.
• Ring Fit Adventure players will need the original Joy-Con since Joy-Con 2 doesn’t fit into the Ring-Con.
• And if you’re trying to strap your Joy-Con 2 to your thigh for Nintendo Switch Sports soccer mode? Yeah… not happening. The leg strap isn’t compatible with the new controllers.

Let’s just say this isn’t ideal for anyone who was hyped about a full-motion workout or party games night. You’ll either have to keep your old controllers handy or wait for third-party accessories to swoop in and save the day.

A Generational Leap That Might Be Tripping Over Itself

Nintendo was always going to face a tricky balancing act with the Switch 2. On one hand, the console is offering better hardware, 256GB of internal storage, and games with higher resolutions and improved performance. On the other hand, the moment backward compatibility isn’t seamless, players notice—and they’re vocal.

Remember when Sony tried to explain PS5’s compatibility issues with the PS4 library? Or when Xbox Series X ran into hiccups with random legacy titles? Yeah, this isn’t a new issue in the console world, but Nintendo fans have always expected their quirky ecosystem to “just work”—especially when it comes to sharing games, saves, and accessories across generations.

To Nintendo’s credit, they’ve laid out the issues up front, created a public-facing compatibility list, and assured users that patches are coming. That transparency is helpful. But for anyone hoping for a flawless transition, it’s clear that Switch 2 still has some growing pains to work through.