We road test RDR, Star Wars Outlaws and Fallout 4 on Switch 2
Now eight months after its launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 is officially the world’s fastest-selling console. As well as the host of first party titles – from Mario Kart to Kirby and Donkey Kong – the Japanese games giant has encouraged ports of some of the most beloved games of the last two decades. Even the most graphically intensive games are now capable of running on this slick handheld device. We played three recently ported titles to see how they run and compared the experience to their original releases.
Red Dead Redemption: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
We’ve saved the best till last, as one of the best games ever released gets a worthy adaptation for the small(er) screen. Having not played Red Dead Redemption for some years, I was unsure what to expect, especially after having replayed RDR2 recently.
But the game plays as smoothly as it does on PS5, running at 60fps and even supporting 4K when docked on TV. Despite the large map, I experienced no crashes or typical open-world Rockstar game-breaking glitches.
With the textures hugely improved, this feels like a genuinely new offer for fans – a gift in fact, if you’d already bought the game on the original Switch, as the Switch 2 upgrade is free.
Pricing on the Nintendo store is often higher than that of other platforms, so a gratis upgrade is a welcome change of pace.
• Free upgrade for the £39.99 original Switch version
Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition
The last Bethesda re-release, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition, did not go down well with critics or players. Among other faults, a 60fps mode was not available for Skyrim when it launched on the Switch 2 in December, leaving people frustrated at the £50-plus price tag for one of the most-ported games in history (Bethesda have since released a series of patches to fix these issues, and added other features).
Fallout 4, however, has experienced no such problems. Fans keen for top-level graphics can settle for 30fps, or boost that frame rate to 60 if they’re willing to compromise on the visuals. Alternatively, 40fps is available for those who want a happy medium between silky smooth gameplay and sleek graphics – a setting we strongly recommend.
It’s a relatively bug-free experience, with only a few crashes, particularly when trying to exit the build menu. Customers receive all the Fallout 4 DLC, including Automatron, which is graphically intensive enough to push the Switch 2 to its technological limits. On the whole, it’s an excellent re-release to add to Nintendo fans’ Bethesda collection.
• £52.99 on the Nintendo store
Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition
I first reviewed this game on release day in August 2024 on PS5 and was impressed with it then. It’s even more impressive that they’ve managed to get it to run this smoothly on the Switch 2.
Ubisoft has made several quality-of-life improvements to the game since it launched, as well as optimising it for Nintendo’s new hardware. There’s less of a focus on stealth, with players now given the option to progress through the story all guns-blazing should they choose to, rather than failing a mission simply for being detected.
I was anxious that the Switch 2 would struggle with Outlaws’ large open worlds, but those fears were quickly assuaged. Despite being capped at 30fps, it looks great on the handheld small screen, and is stunning on my 65” QLED TV when docked. Occasional frame rate stutters interrupt a generally smooth experience, and some crashes on a game this big on a console this small are to be expected; thank goodness for the regular autosave feature.
For anyone who didn’t pick it up on release, or for any die-hard Star Wars fans keen to experience this on-the-go, this Gold Edition port is a must-play.
• £49.99 on the Nintendo store