Pre-orders for the native Switch 2 version of Minecraft opened today ahead of its October 27 launch, and Mojang and Nintendo have finally explained the upgrade path they promised in August. Anyone who owns a digital copy of Minecraft for the original Switch can claim the digital Standard Edition for Switch 2 free until January 31, 2027, or upgrade to the Deluxe or Ultimate Collection at a discount. Minecraft.net says the offer is “only available through Nintendo eShop,” and neither company’s announcement mentions any route for people who bought the game on a cartridge.
For everyone else, Nintendo’s U.S. store lists the Standard Edition at $29.99, the Deluxe Collection at $39.99 and the Ultimate Collection at $49.99, and a physical Switch 2 version is available to pre-order at retail. Every edition includes the Super Mario Mash-Up pack, which has been updated for Vibrant Visuals, while the Deluxe and Ultimate Collections add Marketplace add-ons, Character Creator items and 700 or 1,000 Minecoins respectively.
What the eShop listing adds to the announcement
The publisher notice on the Switch 2 eShop page confirms the terms: “Already own a digital version of Minecraft for Nintendo Switch? Get a digital Minecraft Standard Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 for free or pre-order the Deluxe Collection or Ultimate Collection at a discount by January 31, 2027.” The footnotes in Nintendo’s and Mojang’s posts add that the upgrade is free everywhere except Japan and Taiwan, where it costs 100 yen and 30 New Taiwan dollars, and that Minecoins bought on a Nintendo device can only be spent within Nintendo’s ecosystem. The listing also answers a question the announcement did not, stating that Switch worlds “can be carried over, so you can pick up right where you left off.”
| Minecraft for Switch (2018 listing) | Minecraft for Switch 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | June 20, 2018 | October 27, 2026 |
| U.S. price | $29.99 | $29.99 Standard, $39.99 Deluxe, $49.99 Ultimate |
| Vibrant Visuals | No | Yes, as the default, though not in split-screen or with some Marketplace worlds |
| Super Mario Mash-Up pack | Included, without Vibrant Visuals | Included in every edition, updated for Vibrant Visuals |
| File size (Nintendo estimate) | 1.8 GB | 1.2 GB |
| Switch worlds | Not applicable | Can be carried over |
| Upgrade for existing owners | Not applicable | Free for digital Switch owners until Jan. 31, 2027; no physical path announced |
The listing for the original game gives a file size for Switch 2 as well, so a boxed copy will keep running on the new console through backward compatibility. What it will not get is the main reason to upgrade, because Vibrant Visuals, the lighting and shadow overhaul Mojang released in June 2025, has never been available on the original Switch. When it launched, Mojang’s supported list covered Xbox, PlayStation, PC and mobile devices but left out Nintendo hardware entirely, and Mojang only confirmed it was coming to Switch 2 when it announced the native version on June 9.
Nintendo Everything reports that the Deluxe and Ultimate Collections show at 75 and 60 percent off for eligible accounts. Applied to the U.S. list prices, that works out to roughly $10 for Deluxe and $20 for Ultimate, though the exact amount will appear on each owner’s eShop page.
How Minecraft has handled console upgrades before
This is not the first time Mojang has moved Minecraft to a newer console, and the PlayStation precedent is a useful comparison for physical owners in particular.
| Upgrade | When | What existing owners got | Disc or cartridge owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 to native PS5 | Oct. 22, 2024 | Free digital PS5 version for PS4 Bedrock owners; the PS5 version was otherwise $19.99 | Free, but the PS4 disc must stay in a PS5 with a disc drive |
| Xbox Series X|S optimization | June 17, 2025 | Mojang announced Series X|S optimization in the Chase the Skies update, with no separate purchase mentioned | No separate step described |
| Switch to native Switch 2 | Oct. 27, 2026 | Free digital Standard Edition until Jan. 31, 2027, or discounted Deluxe and Ultimate | No path announced; cartridge keeps playing via backward compatibility |
On PS5, Mojang let disc owners in as long as they inserted the PS4 disc each time they played, which is the standard PlayStation approach to disc upgrades. Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs for other games already work with an inserted cartridge, so the console can check a physical copy, but Mojang has not offered that option here, at least so far. The pattern is a familiar one on Switch 2, where digital owners often get the cleanest upgrade path, as we saw this morning with Paradox’s loyalty discount for Cities: Skylines.
The dates that matter
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 17, 2025 | Vibrant Visuals launches on Bedrock Edition, without support for Switch |
| June 9, 2026 | Native Switch 2 version announced during a Nintendo Direct, with Vibrant Visuals as the default |
| Aug. 5, 2026 | October 27 release date confirmed and a digital upgrade path promised |
| Oct. 7, 2026 | Pre-orders open; free upgrade terms published |
| Oct. 27, 2026 | Minecraft for Switch 2 launches |
| Jan. 31, 2027 | Last day to claim the free Standard Edition or discounted collections |
What owners should do
Digital owners on the original Switch have nothing to lose by claiming the free Standard Edition now, because the pre-order costs nothing and the deadline is nearly four months away. Anyone who was planning to buy Marketplace add-ons should look at the discounted Deluxe or Ultimate price on their own eShop page first, but should also remember that the bundled Minecoins only work on Nintendo hardware. At 1.2 GB, the new version should fit easily on a base Switch 2, which matters given the much larger installs we tracked in our fall storage guide.
Physical owners have a harder decision. They can keep playing their cartridge on Switch 2 without Vibrant Visuals, or pay $29.99 for the new version and carry their worlds across, since the listing says Switch worlds can be moved. Unless Mojang or Nintendo announces something for boxed copies before launch, there is no reason to expect a discount, so families who mainly play split-screen, where Vibrant Visuals is switched off anyway, may reasonably decide the cartridge is good enough.
Nintendo’s trailer from the June 9 Direct, where the Switch 2 version was first announced, is below.
Sources: Nintendo (pre-order announcement and eShop listings); Minecraft.net (June 9, Aug. 5 and Oct. 7, 2026 posts, plus the 2024 PS5 and 2025 Vibrant Visuals launch posts); Nintendo Everything; Final Weapon; VGC.