The Nintendo Switch 2 is now a little over a year old, but one game that a whole bunch of owners would have been hoping for an upgraded version of hasn’t yet materialised. That game is Minecraft.
The good news is that will end fairly soon, as Microsoft’s behemoth is almost ready for it. The Nintendo Switch 2 Minecraft upgrade is currently confirmed for October 27, 2026.
Obviously this is good news for Switch 2 owners, which includes my own impatient son. For existing owners a “digital upgrade path” will be available, with more information to come. It also doesn’t say this upgrade will be free, and the wording definitely makes me feel like there will be some kind of cost attached. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Minecraft is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27! Enjoy Vibrant Visuals support and dig into an adventure that looks better than ever!Learn more here! https://t.co/E6BmUo3vvV pic.twitter.com/7GtMBZ5XgyAugust 5, 2026
The Switch 2 upgrade to Minecraft will bring it more in line with other platforms, with the new Vibrant Visuals experience being enabled as default.
“Let me unfurl this metaphorical scroll a little to remind you why we’re all so excited. First, the Nintendo Switch™ 2 renders the world of Minecraft to lush life with Vibrant Visuals – set as the default visual experience. This means enhanced lighting, shadow effects and more – and you can even enjoy Vibrant Visuals* enabled content across all the supported content in Minecraft Marketplace. “
This also extends to the exclusive Super Mario pack that’s only available on the Nintendo version of Minecraft. It, too, will be given some Vibrant Visuals, so have fun with it.
If anything, I’m only surprised it’s taken this long. Vibrant Visuals launched around the same time as the Nintendo Switch 2, and it’ll be 16 months on when the upgrade is finally made available.
Minecraft has recently been brought directly under Xbox leadership and its CEO, Asha Sharma. It’s reported she feels Microsoft has underinvested in Minecraft as a platform and wants to change that in the face of increasing competition from other game-as-a-platform titles such as Roblox.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
