Nintendo’s Switch 2 has been jailbroken for the first time, roughly a year after the console launched, by a hacker who says OpenAI’s AI model helped build the exploit.
On October 22, the hacker, who posts as pepsipu, announced a jailbreak called ns2jb on X, alongside footage of a modded Mario Kart World running on a Switch 2 and a link to the exploit itself.
How the jailbreak works
pepsipu said the jailbreak is software-only and tethered, meaning it runs through a program rather than a hardware modification and must be re-run each time the console starts. The route in is a paid copy of SmileBASIC 4, a Basic programming app sold on the Nintendo eShop for $25.
pepsipu also said an OpenAI model helped write the exploit. Finding a flaw this way, with an AI model rather than years of manual auditing, is a notable first for the Switch 2 and part of a fast-moving trend.
What it means for Switch 2 owners
For now, ns2jb falls well short of a permanent unlock. The original Switch’s boot process was eventually compromised, though it is not known whether the Nvidia chip at the heart of the Switch 2 can be bypassed in a similar way.
GamesRadar+ suggested Nintendo would pull the SmileBASIC 4 app from the eShop quickly, which would block this jailbreak.
