Overview
- Mojang announced Wednesday that the native Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Minecraft will launch on October 27, 2026 and will ship with Vibrant Visuals enabled by default.
- Vibrant Visuals brings enhanced lighting, volumetric fog, improved water reflections, directional lighting, and richer shadows to modernize the game's appearance on Switch 2.
- Players who already own Minecraft on the original Switch will have a digital upgrade path to the Switch 2 edition, but Mojang has not disclosed whether the upgrade will be free or paid.
- Vibrant Visuals will not be available in split‑screen play and will be unavailable for certain Marketplace Worlds and content, and Mojang has not yet confirmed Joy‑Con 2 mouse support or full Marketplace compatibility.
- The Switch 2 announcement follows an earlier ESRB leak and a Nintendo Direct confirmation and comes as Minecraft's development shifts closer to Xbox leadership, a change that could drive further investment and paid upgrade trends on the platform.