Switch 2 emulator: does Mario Kart World really run on PC?

Switch 2 emulation on PC is now public. Builds based on the Eden emulator are spreading online and Mario Kart World boots on them. I'm also covering a claim that a Switch 2 game runs on the original Switch, the first native emulator on the Switch 2 itself, and a user who tried to build a browser exploit with AI until admins told him to stop posting about it.

Performance reports vary widely, the code is rough, and fake downloads are already circulating. I'll cover all of that below.

Eden builds bring Switch 2 emulation to PC

I previously covered the Eden emulator's Switch 2 test build, which hadn't been merged at that point. It spread quickly. A build called Eden Annex 2 was published on Eden's own Git server, and a second project appeared on GitHub, built from Eden, Yuzu and Sudachi.

That GitHub project was created on October 29. It has already reached build 60, offers downloads for Windows and Linux, and has more than 600 stars. The internet noticed. A post from a leaks account saying the Switch 2 emulator is now public passed 1.3 million views.

Mario Kart World boots. People are also showing Splatoon Raiders, Donkey Kong Bananza on Linux, and Pokopia.

How well Mario Kart World runs on PC depends on who you ask

One user claims Mario Kart World runs smoothly at 60fps with only 8GB of RAM. Another clip claims 4K at 60fps on an RTX 30 series card. However, one account noticed that the second clip's specs list a Tegra T239, which is the chip inside the Switch 2. So either it's running on real Switch 2 hardware or someone is trolling.

Other testers say it still freezes and struggles to hold 30fps even on strong graphics cards. One creator summed it up well: there's no compatibility list, the graphics are broken, and you need your own dump.

Even the GitHub project's lead developer reviewed the Switch 2 code in Eden and wrote that much of it is messy spaghetti code, and that maybe only 40 percent of it is usable. A large part of it was written with AI. In the GitHub project, you can see comments noting that Claude assisted.

Fake Switch 2 jailbreak tools and game dumps are circulating

I have two warnings. First, fake versions are spreading. There's a fake copy of the GitHub project under a different name. The same evening, a GitHub account started offering a one click USB C jailbreak tool for the Switch 2. That doesn't exist. It's a malware trap.

Second, game files. Public uploads of Switch 2 game dumps are already going around. I'm not showing any of that. Nintendo has taken down hundreds of Switch emulator repositories this year, and Yuzu was shut down in 2024. This is exactly the kind of thing their lawyers go after.

Switch 2 games on PlayStation 5, and Mario Kart World on the original Switch

On the PlayStation side, a post with more than 60,000 views says a port of Eden for jailbroken PlayStation 5 can now officially run Switch 2 games. Someone has also started porting the GitHub project to PlayStation 5. I think that's great: Switch 2 games on a Switch emulator on a PlayStation.

The one that made me laugh was from a user who posted a clip of Mario Kart World running on the Switch 1. Yes, the old console. The clip says it uses less heavy shaders and a lower resolution, which basically means simpler models and fewer pixels. He says World Tour runs fine, but the game runs at double speed because DeepSeek, the AI that helped with the port, broke something in the code.

The clip doesn't show the console, so for now it's only a claim. He also says Donkey Kong Bananza barely boots and Pokopia crashes. When someone asked how a Switch 2 game runs on a Switch 1 with far less RAM, he answered with just two words: "massive optimization."

The first native PS1 emulator on Switch 2

Back on the Switch 2, a homebrew developer has posted the first native PS1 emulator for the console. Native means it runs on the console itself. Until now, most Switch 2 homebrew needed a PC constantly sending commands to the console. The developer says it uses the console's own file system and loads games from the microSD card.

The demo showed Gran Turismo 2, Silent Hill and Tekken 3. He's now working on NES, Super Nintendo and Mega Drive emulators using the same method. He has also released a file manager that lets you browse the console's storage and SD card from a PC.

He has also posted that he already has a Switch emulator running natively on the Switch 2. Nothing has been shown of it yet, so it's only a claim. The PS1 emulator hasn't been released either, but this is the direction everyone wanted: homebrew that doesn't need a PC sitting next to the console.

An AI-built Switch 2 browser exploit and why admins stepped in

The entry point is where the drama is. A developer had previously held back a browser exploit. Now a user has started posting his own attempt. He says he built it with help from Claude, using a real WebKit bug that Apple fixed in June. He said he got SD card access through the browser on firmware 23.0.1, and the chat got excited.

A few hours later, he wrote that admins had banned him from posting updates, that it's only a proof of concept, and that he isn't a professional researcher. Later he wrote that his chain loader is badly broken and that fixing the crashes breaks certain writes. A regular in the ReSwitched Discord wrote that they won't believe it until they see it. Another wrote that getting the file system working from WebKit is already a big achievement. So for now, we wait.

The Switch 2 browser race against firmware updates

There's a reason everyone cares so much about the browser. A member of the Switch 2 hacking scene explained that since firmware 20.5.0, the browser checks with Nintendo whether your firmware is still approved. As soon as new firmware arrives, the browser locks. That's called the super nag.

So a browser exploit is a race. On 23.0.1, it will only work until the next update arrives. On 20.5.0 or older, the browser doesn't do this check at all. Another developer confirmed that the file system bug the whole jailbreak is built on also works on firmware 20.4.0, adding, "building a full exploit chain there is a different story." Still, the bug isn't new at all.

Fuze4 and other possible Switch 2 entry points

More routes may be open. Fuze4 is another Switch 1 game where you can write your own code, a bit like SmileBASIC. Someone crashed it by trying to read memory it isn't supposed to reach, and there's a public script that can read and write its memory. Switch 1 games were built without the Switch 2's security feature called PAC, which makes them easier targets. So far, though, nobody has turned Fuze4 into an exploit.

For another game based route, the developer of its Lua editor confirmed it will at least let you run your old code inside the game. The file system part hasn't been released publicly. A new save tool can put that game's save file on your Switch without a Switch 1, but it needs a working SmileBASIC run. Some users report that these save files can't be backed up to Nintendo's cloud. I haven't been able to confirm that. The demo is still listed on the US and European eShops.

Reality checks on new games, mods and crypto scams

First, new games. The developer of a jailbreak fork that many homebrew users rely on put it simply: Nintendo doesn't give you the decryption keys for new games, and a kernel exploit won't change that. So if you stay on 23.0.1 for the hack, you won't be able to play games that need newer firmware.

Second, mods. According to the ReSwitched developers, mods that change game files such as textures, models and music should work. Mods that change game code, such as FPS patches, probably won't work at this access level.

Watch out for scams too. A Discord user said someone asked for Bitcoin donations for AI tokens while promising big news. If anyone asks for crypto to unlock an exploit, that's definitely a red flag. The newest firmware is still 23.0.1, and the Ocarina of Time remake releases on November 5, so many people are wondering which firmware will actually be on that cartridge.