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How to View and Remap Controls in Nintendo Classics on Switch 2

Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Virtual Boy support per-game control changes in their Suspend Menu. For other listed Nintendo Classics, use Switch 2’s system Button Mapping settings.
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To change controls in Nintendo Classics on Switch 2, open the game’s Suspend Menu. Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Virtual Boy games offer per-game remapping there; for the other listed libraries, Nintendo directs players to the console’s Button Mapping settings. System remapping is broader and can affect nearly all console scenarios, not just one classic game.

Nintendo calls these libraries Nintendo Classics; “Console Archive” is not the library name used in Nintendo’s support guide. The guide covers NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, SEGA Genesis, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and Virtual Boy. The GameCube library is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. The instructions below follow Nintendo’s documentation, which does not list a publication or revision date.

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How do I see a classic game’s original controls?

  1. Start the Nintendo Classics game.
  2. Open its Suspend Menu using the button combination for that library and controller, shown in the table below.
  3. For Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Virtual Boy, select View/Change Controls, then press Y to see how the original controller’s buttons map to the controller you are using.
  4. For NES, SNES, Game Boy, SEGA Genesis, and Game Boy Advance, press X to open the User Guide and view the original-to-current button mapping.

If Show controls in game is enabled in Settings, Nintendo says the Suspend Menu input appears at the bottom of the screen.

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Which button opens the Suspend Menu?

Nintendo documents these inputs. Some libraries use different inputs with their dedicated classic controller accessory.

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Library Open Suspend Menu
NES ZL + ZR; or L + R with the NES Controller
SNES ZL + ZR
Game Boy ZL + ZR
Nintendo 64 Minus; or ZR with the Nintendo 64 Controller
SEGA Genesis ZL + ZR; or MODE on the SEGA Genesis Control Pad
Game Boy Advance ZL + ZR
GameCube Minus; or ZL on the GameCube Controller
Virtual Boy ZL + ZR

These inputs are from Nintendo’s How to View or Change Button Assignments for Nintendo Classics Games.

Can I change controls for each classic game?

Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Virtual Boy

Yes. In the Suspend Menu, choose View/Change Controls, then select Change Controls. Nintendo describes this as customizing the mapping for that game-and-controller combination. Press X in this screen to see additional controls specific to the game.

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NES, SNES, Game Boy, SEGA Genesis, and Game Boy Advance

Nintendo’s guide provides a User Guide view of the original-to-current mapping for these libraries, but directs players who want to change mappings to the console’s system settings rather than an in-game remapping option.

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How to remap a controller in Switch 2 settings

  1. From the HOME Menu, open System Settings > Accessibility > Button Mapping.
  2. Select a connected controller and choose Edit Controller Mapping.
  3. Select the button you want to change, then select the button input to assign to it.
  4. Save the configuration. To restore the default mapping later, return to Button Mapping and choose Reset Controller Mapping.

You can add Button Mapping to Quick Settings, which opens by holding HOME. On a Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip or Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, the GL and GR buttons can be mapped only through Quick Settings while a game is running.

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What system remapping changes—and what it does not

Unlike the per-game option available in some Classics libraries, a system mapping is a controller configuration that applies in nearly all console scenarios, including games, the eShop, the HOME Menu, and Maintenance Mode. Nintendo says configurations are stored on the console, not the controller, and up to five custom configurations can be saved per supported controller. Each controller needs its own configuration, though a saved configuration can be loaded onto another controller of the same type.

  • Only currently connected supported controllers appear in Button Mapping. Nintendo lists Joy-Con 2, Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip, and Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller. Nintendo’s FAQ also says Nintendo Switch Lite buttons can be remapped.
  • The POWER, Volume, HOME, and SYNC buttons cannot be remapped, and another button cannot be assigned those inputs.
  • Stick directions cannot be assigned to button inputs. You can switch the left- and right-stick mappings.
  • Nintendo says mappings may be temporarily disabled in specific contexts, such as button tests or stick and motion calibration.

See Nintendo’s Button Mapping FAQ and Guide to Accessibility Features on Nintendo Switch 2 for the supported options and restrictions.

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Which method should I use?

What you want to do Where to go Scope
See the original button layout Suspend Menu; for N64, GameCube, and Virtual Boy, choose View/Change Controls. For the other listed libraries, use the User Guide. Shows the mapping for the current game and controller.
Customize an N64, GameCube, or Virtual Boy game’s controls Suspend Menu > View/Change Controls > Change Controls That game-and-controller combination.
Change buttons for another listed Classics library or adjust a controller more generally System Settings > Accessibility > Button Mapping Broad console use, with the restrictions described above.

Do I need a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller?

No. Nintendo lists the Switch 2 Pro Controller among supported options, but system remapping does not require buying it. Use a supported controller that is connected to the console; only connected controllers are shown in Button Mapping.

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Membership requirements for Nintendo Classics

Nintendo’s guide says an active Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for the NES, SNES, and Game Boy libraries. Nintendo 64, SEGA Genesis, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Virtual Boy, and mature Nintendo 64 libraries require the Expansion Pack. Membership terms may change; check Nintendo’s current service information before subscribing.

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