First Switch 2 Emulator Eden-NX2 Boots Mario Kart World

Screenshot: Nintendo (Mario Kart World on Switch 2 — not emulator footage)

The first publicly available Nintendo Switch 2 emulator for PC is here. Eden-NX2, an experimental Windows build of the Eden emulator released on October 29, can already boot Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza — but both games run rough, with stutters, poor speed, and visual glitches.

Key Takeaways

• Eden-NX2 is the first public Switch 2 emulator for PC, released October 29 by developer Takoroka as an experimental Eden build.
• Mario Kart World boots and is playable, but with frequent stutters, poor speed, and visual bugs; Donkey Kong Bananza runs but cannot reach 60 FPS.
• Listed PC requirements: 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, a Vulkan-capable GPU with 8GB or more of VRAM, and at least 16GB of RAM.
• The emulator ships with no games — users supply their own game files — and Nintendo has a history of legal action against emulator projects.

What Is Eden-NX2?

Eden-NX2 is an experimental build of Eden, a Nintendo Switch emulator, that adds early Switch 2 support. Developer Takoroka published the pre-release on October 29 on the Eden project's git server, describing it as "experimental Switch 2 integration for Eden" that "needs a lot of fixes." Only a Windows build is provided, and it is the first Switch 2 emulator to reach the public — until now, no Switch 2 emulator was known to be in development. Eden itself grew out of the Yuzu codebase, the original Switch emulator that shut down in 2024 after Nintendo took its developers to court, which is worth knowing before getting excited about how long this project may last.

How Well Do Switch 2 Games Run on Eden-NX2?

Two games are confirmed booting so far, and neither runs well yet. Mario Kart World loads and is playable, according to DSOGaming, but with frequent stutters, poor speed, and visual bugs. Donkey Kong Bananza also starts and runs, but with poor speed and no way to reach 60 FPS at this time. Takoroka's own release notes explain part of the problem: some meshes are missing in games because shaders are not yet implemented, which accounts for the odd graphical glitches visible in early clips. Footage of Mario Kart World running on the emulator spread through a Centro LEAKS post on X and passed 11 million views, per TweakTown — attention that also makes it likely Nintendo is now aware of the project.

None of this is independently tested by Nexorift: the performance claims above are as reported by DSOGaming and TweakTown, and early emulator builds can behave very differently from one PC to another. Treat Eden-NX2 as a proof of concept, not a way to play Switch 2 games properly today.

Screenshot: Nintendo (Mario Kart World on Switch 2 — not emulator footage)

What Are the Eden-NX2 PC Requirements?

The listed requirements are steep, and they are only the entry bar — meeting them does not mean games will run smoothly, given the early state of the build.

Requirement	Minimum (as listed)
Operating system	64-bit Windows 10 or 11 (Windows build only)
GPU	Vulkan-capable GPU with 8GB or more of VRAM
System RAM	At least 16GB
Games	Not included — users supply their own game files
Target performance	No stable target yet — early build, stutters and sub-60 FPS reported

Why Did a Switch 2 Emulator Appear So Fast?

The timing is the real story. Just days before Eden-NX2 went public, the Nintendo Switch 2 was hacked and jailbroken, and DSOGaming believes the two events are linked — until the jailbreak, there were no known Switch 2 emulators in the works, and then, within about a week, an Eden build could run the new console's games. That speed is remarkable, but it also cuts the other way: a project this new, built on jailbreak-era findings, is exactly the kind of thing Nintendo watches closely. Nintendo shut down Yuzu, Eden's ancestor, through the courts in 2024, and has a long record of acting against emulation projects it believes threaten its business. Whether Eden-NX2 survives, gets taken down, or simply stalls is unknowable right now — but its first week is already its most fragile.

For context, this is not the only emulation story moving fast this month. The PS5 scene has its own parallel track, with the AnyPS5 project making five PS5 games playable on PC and a PS5 kernel exploit shown on firmware 14.10 — but neither of those changes the basic caution that applies here: early emulation news moves quickly, and early builds break often.

Screenshot: Nintendo (Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2 — not emulator footage)

Is Eden-NX2 Legal and Safe to Use?

Emulators themselves sit in a grey area, but the rules around them are clear in one respect: only use games you legally own, dumped from your own copies, and never download game files, BIOS files, or firmware from random sites. This article deliberately contains no emulator download link and no game download link. Circulating "Switch 2 emulator" downloads are already a prime target for scams and malware — fake installers, repackaged builds with bundled malware, and phishing pages pretending to be the project are common within days of a story like this, so only the official project pages should ever be trusted, and even then, an experimental pre-release is not something most players should install. Nintendo has not commented on Eden-NX2, and nothing here should be read as Nintendo endorsing or accepting it.

What Happens Next for Eden-NX2?

Expect fast, messy updates. Early emulator projects typically improve in bursts — shader work, compatibility fixes, and performance passes landing over weeks — and DSOGaming notes more work is expected in the days ahead. The questions that matter are whether Takoroka keeps shipping updates, whether more games start booting, and whether Nintendo responds legally or technically. If you care about Switch 2 on PC, the sensible move is to watch from a distance: the story is significant because a Switch 2 emulator exists at all, not because it is usable yet. Nexorift will cover meaningful updates — new compatibility milestones, not every nightly build — as they land. For the latest on Nintendo's own platform, see our Nintendo Indie World October 2026 recap and the Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 edition coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Eden-NX2 play Mario Kart World at full speed?

No. Reports say Mario Kart World is playable but with frequent stutters, poor speed, and visual bugs. It is a proof of concept, not a smooth experience.

Does Donkey Kong Bananza run at 60 FPS on Eden-NX2?

No. Donkey Kong Bananza runs but cannot reach 60 FPS at this time, with poor speed and missing meshes from unimplemented shaders.

What PC do you need for Eden-NX2?

The listed requirements are 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, a Vulkan-capable GPU with 8GB or more of VRAM, and at least 16GB of RAM. Meeting them does not guarantee smooth play.

Does Eden-NX2 come with games?

No. Like other console emulators, it ships with no games and loads titles from a folder the user supplies. Only legally owned games should ever be used.

Is Eden-NX2 the first Switch 2 emulator?

As reported by TweakTown and DSOGaming, it appears to be the first publicly available Switch 2 emulator for PC. Nintendo has not commented on it.

Images: Nintendo (official Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza screenshots on Switch 2 — not emulator footage). Sources: TweakTown, DSOGaming.