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Square Enix has brought both Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II to Nintendo Switch 2, with the two acclaimed JRPGs available digitally from today, July 13.
The ports were announced during a broadcast celebrating the eighth anniversary of the original Octopath Traveler, which first launched for Nintendo Switch on July 13, 2018. Rather than attaching the news to a lengthy marketing campaign or distant release date, Square Enix confirmed that both games would arrive on Nintendo’s latest console immediately.
At the time of writing, we don’t have pricing details or confirmed whether players who already own either game on the original Switch will receive a free or discounted upgrade. It is also unclear whether save data can be transferred between versions. Square Enix has yet to detail any Switch 2-specific technical improvements, so prospective buyers may want to check the eShop listings before purchasing.
The first Octopath Traveler takes place across the fantasy world of Orsterra and lets players begin as one of eight protagonists, each with their own personal story, abilities and reasons for setting out on the road. Players eventually recruit the other travellers, creating a party while working through a series of interconnected adventures.
Octopath Traveler II follows a similar structure but introduces eight new heroes and moves the action to Solistia, a world entering a new industrial age. Its stories feature characters including a merchant hoping to eliminate poverty, a scholar seeking revenge and a thief desperate to escape a life of bloodshed. The sequel also expanded the original game’s ideas with a day-and-night cycle, shared character chapters and more interaction between party members.
Both games are best known for Square Enix’s HD-2D visual style, which combines detailed pixel-art characters with modern lighting, effects and 3D environments. Battles use the series’ turn-based Break and Boost system, encouraging players to uncover enemy weaknesses, break their defences and store points for more powerful attacks.
The two releases join Octopath Traveler 0 on Switch 2, meaning Nintendo’s newer hardware can now play all three main console entries in the series natively.
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