Switch 2 jailbreak used AI and a $25 game, but a reboot kills it

The exploit, called ns2jb, lets the console run code it was never meant to run. The developer says it gets native code running with the same permissions as ordinary system modules, the background programs that handle jobs like reading and writing files, including the built-in filesystem module.

That foothold opens up a handful of things:

• Game mods, such as the custom Mario Kart World racers in the viral videos, which also showed Sanrio’s Cinnamoroll and an Angry Bird.
• Homebrew software, meaning unofficial apps and tools made by hobbyists.
• Save backups, letting players copy their save files off the console.
• Security research and reverse engineering, which is how bigger hacks usually get built.

The exploit reportedly works on firmware version 23.0.1, which the developer said was the newest version when the write-up went live.

This is a tethered jailbreak. Turn the console off, or let it reboot, and the hack is gone. You have to run the whole process again each time.

It also isn’t custom firmware, the kind of deep, permanent replacement for Nintendo’s software that unlocked the first Switch. It doesn’t give kernel-level control, the deepest layer of the system. The developer describes it as a possible starting point for custom firmware later, not the finished thing.

And the steps are hard going. The method depends on SmileBASIC 4, a programming app for making simple games that sells for about $25 on the US eShop. It’s a Switch 1 title that still runs on the Switch 2, and a flaw in its BASIC interpreter (the part that runs the code you type) was the way in. From there the developer worked up into the console’s filesystem system module. Buying the app doesn’t mean you can follow along, and the instructions are tough to follow for anyone who isn’t a security hobbyist.

AI played a real part, but this wasn’t a chatbot told to hack a console. According to the developer’s write-up, the project took about two weeks. Codex helped hunt for weaknesses and write pieces of the exploit, while pepsipu built a setup that let AI agents control the consoles and read what came back.

Plenty of human effort was still needed. The first plan, breaking in through the Switch 2’s built-in web browser, failed. The breakthrough came from a different direction, through that old SmileBASIC flaw and the filesystem service.

It’s part of a wider trend. Sony has been pushing a run of PlayStation 5 firmware updates to close security holes as new jailbreaks appear faster than before, with AI tools speeding up the work. AI coding assistants have also powered a wave of fan projects, from browser ports of the original Halo: Combat Evolved to viral mods that drop Mario into Elden Ring. For console makers, the window between a new console and its first exploit may be getting shorter.

For almost everyone, nothing changes today, and that’s a good thing. Here’s how to think about it:

• Don’t try it on the console you play on. Running unofficial code on a system you use for online play and digital purchases is a gamble with your account, and this hack offers little to a regular player.
• Expect an update. Nintendo can patch the hole in a future system update, and it could also pull SmileBASIC 4 from the eShop to shut off the entry point. If you already own the app, there’s no reason to delete it; it’s a legitimate programming tool.
• Keep installing official updates. They’re how security holes get fixed, and staying current protects your saves and account.
• Don’t fall for “easy jailbreak” downloads. Hacks like this attract fake tools and paid “unlock” services. There is no one-click Switch 2 jailbreak, so anything claiming to be one is a red flag.

For Nintendo, the risk is mostly about what comes next. A tethered, hard-to-use exploit isn’t a piracy flood. But the first Switch was cracked during its first year on sale, and the same pattern is now repeating on the Switch 2, which launched in 2025.