Nintendo Switch 2 Gamers Getting AAA RPG Free Via Wild Exploit

Nintendo Switch 2 users have discovered a way to use Nintendo’s “Nintendo Switch 2 Edition” upgrade system against them, by gaining access to a free version of a specific game… and then upgrading it to its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on the cheap.

Gotta admit, considering how scummy Nintendo is being with the pricing of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its “upgrades”, this article does feel pretty good to write.

In case you didn’t hear, certain Nintendo Switch games can be upgraded to their Nintendo Switch 2 counterparts, which in most cases will result in a smoother experience with better performance and an increased framerate.

Some of these upgrades are free. Some of them are not. Some of the ones that aren’t definitely should be.

Speaking of, Hogwarts Legacy got a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade that costs $10. Hogwarts Legacy on the original Nintendo Switch is an embarrassingly terrible port, with frequent dips below 30fps and the type of graphical fidelity you’d see in a PS3 game.

Personally, I think it’s ridiculous that people aren’t being given the upgrade for the Nintendo Switch 2 version for free… which is why a certain exploit for the game feels particularly funny to me.

As detailed in an article by Vice's Brent Koepp, a few eagle-eyed Nintendo Switch 2 users have discovered a way to drastically decrease the price of the game on the platform.

Hogwarts Legacy's Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is currently on sale for $41.99. Bit overpriced still, but we can make that cheaper.

If you buy the Nintendo Switch version of the game through the eShop instead, which costs $11.99, you can then upgrade it for $10. So instead of paying $41.99, you can just pay $21.99.

However, one user over on Reddit noticed something even better.

If you get a copy of Hogwarts Legacy by some other means, like for instance borrowing it from your local library or by using a friend’s cartridge, you can still upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game for only $10.

As the user in the thread notes, you don’t need the original Hogwarts Legacy cartridge to play the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game after this point. The “upgrade” for the game actually just gives you a completely separate digital version, which isn’t attached to the cartridge you used to access the upgrade.

Not bad going, getting the upgraded version of a AAA game for only $10.