The big picture: AI coding has unleashed a new wave of decompilations and jailbreaks, largely centered on video games. Modders cracked almost every PlayStation 5 firmware version a few weeks ago, and the Nintendo Switch 2 is next. The phenomenon could lead to a repeat of the original Switch's piracy problem, but Nintendo has already responded.
The Nintendo Switch 2's first public jailbreak is now in the wild. Unfortunately, anyone who hasn't already bought the coding tool SmileBASIC 4 for the Switch is out of luck, as it has already disappeared from the Nintendo eShop.
Researcher and modder Sammy Hajhamid successfully cracked Switch 2 firmware version 23.0.1, ran homebrew software, accessed most of the device's peripherals, and backed up save files. He demonstrated his progress with footage of a modded version of Mario Kart World featuring Goku, Walter White, Peter Griffin, Hatsune Miku, Gold Ship, and other famous non-Nintendo characters.
– pepsipu (@pepsipu) October 22, 2026
While it's usually Claude driving the AI reverse-engineering craze, Hajhamid used OpenAI's Codex instead. He used it to vibe-code the Mario Kart mod, but the jailbreak itself took about two weeks.
The exploit works entirely through software, so it doesn't require hardware modifications. However, Hajhamid hasn't devised a full-blown custom firmware yet, so the hack must be repeated each time the handheld-console hybrid reboots, and it requires a computer.
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Getting Codex to hack the Switch 2 took two approaches and an elaborate harness to interface with the device physically. That included a method to deliver USB inputs and receive HDMI outputs, as well as a Bluetooth light switch flicker, bought from Amazon, to press the power button whenever the AI coding tool crashed the handheld.
The first time Codex jailbroke the Switch 2 was via WebKit. That's unsurprising, since WebKit has enabled console hacking before, but it didn't enable homebrew, modding, or save backups. Getting there required giving the AI new goals.
The access point ultimately turned out to be the Switch 1 title SmileBASIC 4. An earlier version had already enabled a 3DS jailbreak, making it a natural choice. However, either Nintendo or developer SmileBomb delisted SmileBASIC 4 in the US and Europe soon after the Switch 2 jailbreak went public, so only people who already downloaded the coding tool can perform the hack. The Japanese version remained available as of this writing.
If the Switch 2 hacking scene progresses, it could eventually mirror the original Switch, which was cracked unusually early for a Nintendo device.
Emulation and custom firmware usually affect Nintendo consoles long after their original shelf lives, but major Switch releases often found their way to emulators almost immediately after hitting store shelves.
The PS5 scene hasn't slowed down either. Earlier this month, a developer demonstrated what appears to be a kernel-level exploit on firmware 14.10, the version Sony pushed to close the hole used by the Relapse jailbreak. The exploit remains private, and Sony has since released firmware 14.20. Hacks for earlier firmware versions have added Linux support to the console.