How to Avoid the Progress-Blocking Index Bug in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book

Nintendo has acknowledged a serious, progress-halting bug in its newly released Switch 2 exclusive, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. The bug, which can render the game unplayable by locking players inside the Index interface, was identified by user reports and publicly addressed on May 29, 2026, just over a week after the game launched. Here's everything players need to know to dodge the issue entirely.

Understanding the Bug

At its core, the bug is a softlock triggered by a very specific sequence of events involving the game's Index feature. Mr. E, a talking book character, is meant to provide a tutorial on how to use the Index to log creature discoveries. If a player jumps ahead and investigates a particular creature, the "Bewilder Bird" (also known as the Bird of Paradise), before this tutorial happens, and then concludes that research without making a major discovery, the game's logic breaks down. When the Index tutorial triggers automatically later on, the interface becomes an inescapable menu, grinding all progress to a halt.

The Exact Trigger Conditions

According to a statement from Nintendo's customer support account, the bug unfolds through three precise steps. First, you must begin researching the Bewilder Bird before the game has given you Mr. E's formal Index tutorial. Second, you need to finish that specific research session without unlocking a major discovery. Finally, after these conditions are met, when you eventually clear four chapters and the game forces the Index tutorial to activate, you will be trapped on that screen.