Nintendo has released Nintendo Switch 2 system version 23.0.0 with support for variable-refresh-rate (VRR) output in TV mode. The update was released on 10 September 2026, and using the feature also requires an update for the Nintendo Switch 2 dock.
VRR allows a display to change when it refreshes instead of updating at one fixed rate. On a compatible setup, the television can align its refresh timing more closely with the changing rate at which a game produces frames. This can help reduce visual problems associated with mismatched timing, although Nintendo’s update notes do not quantify any improvement or establish how the feature performs in specific games and televisions.
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What changed in version 23.0.0
The central addition in version 23.0.0 is VRR output while the Switch 2 is being used in TV mode. Nintendo says the feature works when both the game software and the connected television support it. In that situation, the Switch 2 outputs video at a refresh rate matched to the game’s processing.
Nintendo has also added a VRR settings item under the console’s Display settings. The update renames the dock output-information item to “video output information” and lets users check more detailed information about the video signals supported by the connected television.
The dock is part of the requirement because video in TV mode passes through it. Updating only the console is therefore not enough to enable the new docked-output feature.
Version 23.0.0 also includes changes unrelated to VRR, including updates to GameChat, virtual game card settings, console-to-console transfer, accessibility-language options, audio settings and system stability.
How TV-mode VRR works
A game does not necessarily deliver frames at a perfectly constant interval. Its rendering workload can vary as scenes become more or less complex. A fixed-refresh display, meanwhile, refreshes according to a regular schedule.
When those timings do not align, a display can show artifacts such as tearing, where portions of different frames appear together, or uneven motion. VRR changes the display’s refresh timing so it can follow changing frame delivery more closely. The intended result is better synchronisation between the game, console output and television.
That process depends on the whole output chain. The game must support the feature, the Switch 2 must provide the relevant output, the dock must be updated, and the television must support VRR. A VRR-capable television alone does not establish that every Switch 2 game will use VRR.
Nintendo’s documentation describes the feature and its compatibility conditions, but it does not provide a supported-game list, a supported-TV list or measurements of tearing, judder, frame pacing, image quality or input latency.
What Switch 2 owners need to do
Connected Switch 2 consoles can download system-update data automatically. Nintendo also provides a manual route through Settings, System and System Update.
Owners who want to use TV-mode VRR should update the console and ensure that the Switch 2 dock is updated as well. The new Display settings can then provide more information about the video signals supported by the connected television, alongside the VRR setting.
The feature is most relevant to people who play the Switch 2 while it is docked and use a compatible VRR television. It does not mean that every game, television or dock configuration will automatically provide VRR output.