Switch 2’s Handheld Boost Mode Is a Game-Changer for These Switch 1 Games

How to Turn It On

Find the toggle in System Settings on your Switch 2. Look under backwards compatibility options. Once enabled, it applies globally to all Switch 1 games you launch. You can flip it off per session if a specific game has issues with it.

The Most Improved Games

• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 looked really poor in handheld mode. As the first Xenoblade game on the system, it was a bit rough around the edges. Boost mode makes it look much better.

• Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Menus and character portraits look dramatically crisper.
• Persona 5 Royal – Already gorgeous, now even cleaner in handheld.
• Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – The performance still is not great, but at least it is sharper now.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Now looking genuinely respectable in handheld.
• Bayonetta 3 – Action games especially benefit from the cleaner output.
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Noticeably cleaner on characters and enemy models.
• Monster Hunter Rise – A solid improvement across environments.
• DOOM and DOOM Eternal – Fast-paced games where clarity really matters mid-action.
• NieR:Automata – The Switch port was already solid; this makes it look even better.

A Few Caveats

Not every game benefits equally. Games already running at max resolution in handheld will not see a visual difference. Touchscreen-dependent games can also behave oddly. For everything else though? It is one of the better quality-of-life updates Nintendo has pushed for Switch 2 yet.