Two Pico board targets arrive in the first release
CivSwitch 1.0 is available with separate UF2 firmware files for Pico 1 and Pico 2 boards. The release includes civ7-pico1.uf2 for the RP2040-based Pico 1 and civ7-pico2.uf2 for the RP2350-based Pico 2, giving users firmware matched to either supported board.
The project is a toolchain built around the Switch 1 edition of Civilization 7. Its PicoSwitch component uses the microcontroller as a USB HID device, allowing it to enter the project’s prepared input sequence on the console. The release notes only identify the two firmware builds and do not list additional changes for version 1.0.
What CivSwitch is designed to do
CivSwitch combines Pico firmware with JavaScript payload tooling. Its default workflow sends a Remote JavaScript Loader bootstrap through the game’s chat interface, after which the loader can receive JavaScript payloads over the network. The project also includes an installer creator for preparing a boot-persistent trigger in the game’s savedata.
The README identifies a narrow compatibility target: the physical-cartridge version 1.0.0 of Civilization 7 for Switch 1. That restriction is important because the toolchain depends on the behavior of that particular game version. Compatibility with other game revisions is not stated.
Firmware files and supported hardware
The Pico 1 firmware is provided as a UF2 image for the RP2040 board, while the Pico 2 image targets the newer RP2350 hardware. Users should select the image that matches their board rather than treating the two files as interchangeable.
The release data lists the Pico 1 image at 1,489,920 bytes and the Pico 2 image at 1,476,096 bytes. These are the packaged firmware images included with the 1.0 release, not separate versions of the Civilization 7 software.
Payload handling and loader workflow
CivSwitch’s PicoSwitch component includes a compressor for transporting JavaScript through the game’s chat system. The documented process compresses and divides the payload into chat-sized lines, using an image-error delivery format with censor-avoidance encoding. The default payload contains the exploit core and a TCP loader, while the separate send_js.py utility can transmit another JavaScript file to an already running loader.
The project’s documented loader uses TCP port 9026 by default and can stream console output back to the sending computer. This makes the Pico firmware the input stage of a broader toolchain rather than a standalone emulator, game modification or replacement console operating system.
Persistent trigger support
Beyond the initial loader, CivSwitch includes installer-creator tooling that prepares an XSTRIG.Civ7Save trigger for the game’s savedata. The README says the resulting trigger launches the payload from savedata during later boots, and that the loader can remain available after console sleep and wake when that payload is used.
This persistent behavior is separate from the new firmware images themselves. Version 1.0’s release notes do not say that the savedata installer, loader, compressor or payload format changed; they only announce UF2 firmware for the two Pico generations.
Version 1.0 availability
CivSwitch 1.0 was published on November 1, 2026, with the two board-specific firmware images as its listed assets. The project is marked as a regular 1.0 release rather than a rolling development build.
For users with a compatible board and the specifically supported Civilization 7 cartridge version, the release provides a packaged starting point for the PicoSwitch portion of the CivSwitch toolchain. No broader game-version support, performance figures or additional feature changes are claimed in the release notes.
