7 Games That Deserve a Switch 2 Upgrade
It hasn’t been that long since the Nintendo Switch 2 came out, but the platform is already making waves. Considering how popular the first platform was, it makes sense that expectations are through the roof here, especially since the specs here are much stronger. However, while the newer games that come on the Switch 2 will take advantage of its stronger specs, some games currently still run the previous-gen version.
Still, some games are so good that they deserve to have a Switch 2 upgrade. This could be because the games just don’t run well on the Switch, or maybe they have cloud versions that no one should realistically have to play. Here are our favorite ones.
Batman: Arkham Knight
The Nintendo Switch port of Batman: Arkham Knight has numerous performance issues, like constantly dropping to around 20-25 fps. These performance drops cause constant stuttering during open-world traversal, ruining the experience. To make the game run on the hardware, Turn Me Up Games lowered its texture resolution.
A Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade is essential to fix this, as improved hardware would allow the game to run at a stable frame rate. Improved memory bandwidth could support higher-resolution textures and restore other details, making the experience more comparable to other consoles.
Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat 1’s Nintendo Switch port suffers from visual sacrifices to keep the game playable, such as reduced texture quality and background geometry. It has an aggressive dynamic resolution system while having frame rate issues, which heavily impacts the experience of fighting games.
A Switch 2 upgrade would ensure the game could run at a stable 60 fps, which is necessary for competitive fighting games. The upgrade would also allow the developers to introduce the missing details, improve character models, and increase the rendering resolution.
The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds struggles to run on the Switch with poor image quality and performance. Docked gameplay targets 720p, while portable mode drops it to 384p, making the game extremely blurry. The frame rate frequently drops into the low 20s during combat, alongside heavy texture pop-in.
A Switch 2 version could fix these constraints. The Switch 2’s hardware could reduce texture pop-in and other delays, simultaneously stabilizing the frame rate and ensuring the resolution stays high enough.
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal on the original Switch relies on sacrifices. To maintain its 30 fps target, it uses dynamic resolution scaling that drops to 540p docked and 360p portable, while also removing other visual effects like depth of field and per-object motion blur.
A Switch 2 release could bump the game’s frame rate to 60, matching other consoles. Stronger memory allocation could also let the developers add better textures and the missing post-processing effects.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 runs on the Switch with heavy graphical and technical sacrifices. The game runs at dynamic resolutions of 720p docked and 540p portable, targeting 30 fps. Memory constraints forced developers to use aggressive LOD scaling, reduce object counts, and compress audio.
A Switch 2 upgrade would modernize the title. Increased system memory would allow for higher-quality assets and uncompressed audio. The stronger GPU could push the resolution into 1080p docked while maintaining a consistent frame rate during action scenes.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy on the Switch suffers from the console’s limitations. The game targets 30 fps but regularly drops to 20 fps in demanding areas, running at 720p docked and dipping to 360p in handheld mode. It also adds numerous loading screens when exploring the castle interior.
A Switch 2 enhancement could improve the game’s open-world pacing. Faster internal storage would remove the segmented loading screens, and improved processing power could stabilize the frame rate and restore ambient lighting effects removed for the original port.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the Switch’s weakest ports. The game renders at resolutions as low as 360p docked and 170p in handheld mode. Foliage is removed, textures are blurry, and shadow maps lack definition, severely impacting player immersion.
While backward compatibility provides small framerate boosts, a proper Switch 2 upgrade is needed for a better experience. Upgraded hardware could support native rendering resolutions, reintroduce missing environment assets, and implement proper anti-aliasing to deliver an excellent survival experience.
