Switch 2 Update 23.0.0 Adds VRR in TV Mode, but the Dock Needs Its Own Update

Nintendo pushed system update 23.0.0 to Switch 2 on 10 September 2026, and the headline change is variable refresh rate output in TV mode. Until now VRR on Switch 2 only worked on the console's own screen in handheld mode, so docked players were stuck at a fixed refresh rate no matter how the game ran.

There is a catch, and it is the part most people will trip over. The Switch 2 dock needs a firmware update of its own before docked VRR will do anything, and the console has to be sitting in the dock for that to happen. The game also has to support VRR, and so does your TV.

What Switch 2 update 23.0.0 changes when docked

With VRR active, the TV matches its refresh rate to whatever frame rate the game is currently producing, which smooths out the judder you get when a game dips below its target. A new "VRR Settings" entry now sits under Settings, Display. Nintendo has also renamed "Dock Output Information" to "Video Output Information", and that screen now breaks down in detail which video signals your connected TV can actually accept, which is the first place to look if VRR does not appear to be working.

One smaller audio change is easy to miss and genuinely useful if you move the console between rooms: the Settings, Audio, TV Sound values are now stored per connected TV rather than globally.

Switch 2 to Switch 2 transfers finally work

The second big addition is a complete data transfer between two Switch 2 consoles. Nintendo describes it as moving all your data, including save data and screenshots, from an existing Switch 2 to a new one. The option lives under System, and it closes a gap that had been awkward since launch: transferring from an original Switch to a Switch 2 was supported, but going from one Switch 2 to another was not.

That matters more than it did a month ago, given how many new Switch 2 hardware bundles are now in circulation. If you picked up a second console, this is the tool that moves everything across in one pass instead of redownloading a library.

GameChat, Mii Maker and Handheld Boost

GameChat picks up three changes. The list of chats you can join now shows chats you have previously taken part in, you can start a new chat without picking any friends first, and pressing the C button during a chat brings up a menu with a new button for changing the screen size.

The rest of the Switch 2 list is a mix of small quality-of-life items:

• A Settings option on the Virtual Game Card list screen, showing which console a card is registered to.
• "Play with Online Licence", a temporary way to launch a game when the other console holding the virtual game card is offline. Only the account that bought the software can use it.
• Mii Maker now plays background music while you edit, with a BGM Settings button in the top left to switch tracks or turn it off. Three of the tracks are older Nintendo tunes.
• Miis can be turned into a QR code and shared with other people.
• Text-to-speech now supports Brazilian Portuguese, both under Accessibility and in GameChat's voice-to-text conversion.
• A toggle under System, Switch Software Operation Mode that puts Handheld Mode Boost in the Quick Settings menu you get by holding HOME.
• Handheld Mode Boost no longer blocks other controllers while Joy-Con 2 units are attached to the console.
• Play time on My Page, Profile now adds up across multiple consoles for the same game, listed in chronological order from the update onwards.

Nintendo closes the notes with its usual line about fixing several issues and improving stability.

What the original Switch gets

Version 23.0.0 went out to the first Switch too, and it is a much shorter list. The Virtual Game Card screen gains the same Settings option for checking registration status, and the same "Play with Online Licence" fallback appears when the other console is offline. Nothing about VRR, GameChat or Mii QR codes applies to the older hardware.

To install either version, open System Settings, select System, then System Update. If you have been hit by other Switch 2 oddities lately, we also covered the accidental console ban wave behind error 2124-4508. On the software side, this week has been busy: Mario Kart World's free update added 10 classic SNES tracks, Nintendo revealed Metroid Ravenous and its 20.2GB Switch 2 file size, and the companion app picked up its own changes in Nintendo Switch App 3.5.0. UK buyers should also note the Switch 2 price increase to £419.99.