The Nintendo Switch 2 Handles AAA Games Better Than Many People Think.
When the Nintendo Switch 2 launched, I was a little skeptical that such a thin and light device would be able to run AAA blockbusters. But when I finally got my hands on it and wrote a review , I was impressed that it could run demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 just as well as my Steam Deck. Since then, it’s continued to prove its worth, successfully running other resource-intensive titles like Star Wars Outlaws and, most recently, Final Fantasy VIII Remake . The catch? All of these games came out several years ago, and with the exception of Star Wars Outlaws , they were all versions for previous-generation consoles.
As 2026 approaches, I’m still wondering how well the Switch 2 will handle the release of new AAA games. Based on my personal experience with two upcoming technical masterpieces, the answer is “very well.”
Playing Pragmata on Nintendo Switch 2
Last week, I attended a Nintendo presentation where I played the Switch 2 versions of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Animal Crossing: New Horizons , as well as the brand-new Mario Tennis Fever . They all looked great, but didn’t showcase any particularly impressive graphical capabilities. My real interest lay in two third-party games showcased by Capcom.
The first game was Pragmata , an upcoming sci-fi shooter that, most importantly for our purposes, uses the notoriously demanding RE Engine. When running, this engine is excellent for delivering high detail, especially in lighting, but optimizing for it has proven a nightmare even on high-end systems, as evidenced by the constant framerate-draining bugs in games like Monster Hunter Wilds . While it’s an open-world game, meaning it has to process a lot of data simultaneously, Pragmata itself is no slouch, and I figured it would be the perfect test case for whether the Switch 2 could handle not only older AAA titles but also newer ones.
The verdict? If you told me this game runs on the PS5, I’d believe it. I played the game in both handheld and docked mode, and on the TV, it was easy to forget about everything but the gameplay and just immerse myself in the game. Textures were smooth, the resolution felt like at least 1080p, if not higher, and I’d say the frame rate actually exceeded 30 fps. I don’t have specific numbers—I wasn’t able to test these settings at the event, and Capcom couldn’t provide me with any details—but I think even if the graphics were slightly scaled down for the Switch 2, it wasn’t noticeable and didn’t ruin my experience. Gamers who absolutely require 4K resolution and at least 60 fps might want to stick with PC, but these results aren’t far behind what other home consoles can do with the latest games, and are a marked improvement over how the original Switch handled AAA titles.
There, blockbusters were often either pixelated and slow , or ran in the cloud and required an internet connection . These tradeoffs were understandable, but sometimes they meant you were so focused on the game’s technical issues that it was difficult to immerse yourself in the gameplay, if the developers even bothered to port the game to Switch.
None of these issues arose when I played Pragmata on the Nintendo Switch 2. The controls were snappy, the environments were easy to grasp, and, most impressively, the hair was absolutely gorgeous! Okay, that might sound a little strange, but listen up: it’s truly impressive.
Until recently, realistically rendering long hair in video games was a nightmare. If you’ve ever played a video game with a customizable character, you’ve often seen hairstyles limited to medium length or highly stylized. In Pragmata , by contrast, you always have a companion character with tousled, curly, unkempt hair, almost waist-length. And each individual strand of hair has physics, so it moves realistically, rather than as one big lump.
Simulating such parameters requires a tremendous amount of computing power, and this is clearly a bit of a technical boast on Capcom’s part. But while the developers’ work in optimizing the game for this kind of hair is certainly commendable, it’s also encouraging that the Nintendo Switch 2 didn’t let me down at all during this process. In fact, judging by the stability of the gameplay, it seemed like it still had some power left. I encountered no frame rate drops, which was a real help during intense battles.
The only noticeable drop in quality was in handheld mode, where the resolution seemed to drop to around 720p. The game looked a bit pixelated in this mode, but considering the PS5 and Xbox don’t even have the option to play in handheld mode, it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make. In a fair comparison across different TVs, I’m happy to report that Pragmata on the Switch 2 is a more than acceptable way to enjoy the game, even with the follicular texture detail.
I’m playing Resident Evil Requiem on Nintendo Switch 2.
Pragmata is undoubtedly a beautiful game, but the real technical gem of the presentation was Resident Evil Requiem . Also using the RE Engine, Pragmata is a compelling example of how the Switch 2 models physics, and Resident Evil does the same for lighting.
Again, performance is smooth, but I’d say the resolution is definitely closer to 1080p, and the frame rate seems a bit lower than in Pragmata . However, the character models are detailed, and animations play without any odd stuttering. Resident Evil has proven itself in both of these areas in its recent games, so it’s nice to see these qualities maintained.
However, based on my experience with Pragmata , I expected this. What I didn’t expect was how realistic the lighting would be. Like the hair in Pragmata , realistic lighting poses a distinct challenge for game performance, especially now that many games use ray tracing for lighting, meaning lighting is calculated in real time using a realistic trajectory for each light ray, rather than being baked into the scene in advance. This makes it easier to change lighting on the fly and allows it to fall where the player would expect, which is important for Resident Evil , as the game utilizes this in its gameplay. But it also places a significant load on the system.
I was a little nervous before starting the demo, because while I knew the Switch 2 was supposed to support ray tracing, I wasn’t quite ready to believe it until I saw it with my own eyes, especially when it was used for more than just atmosphere. In the demo I played, there’s a monster that can’t follow you into light, and poor lighting can make it difficult to identify safe zones. But, as with Pragmata , my technical skepticism quickly dissipated, and I simply sat down and played calmly, immersed in the game as I would on any other console.
Here’s the biggest technical praise I can give the Switch 2: even after playing Resident Evil Requiem on the Switch 2 for half an hour, it managed to scare the living daylights out of me. Afterward, I was afraid to go outside in the dark. If that doesn’t say how captivated I was, despite the pixelated character models or choppy framerate, I don’t know what does.
What does this mean for Nintendo Switch 2 owners?
I may not have been allowed to gather detailed performance data at the event, but I left feeling quite optimistic about the Switch 2’s ability to handle AAA games. For years, gamers have accepted that multiplatform AAA games would be released on Xbox and PlayStation, but would typically either bypass Nintendo or buy them years later. This is because the Wii was significantly less powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, the Wii U was less powerful than the Xbox One and PS4, and the Switch was less powerful than the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. Since the GameCube, Nintendo has always been at least a generation behind when it comes to performance.
Now it can finally compete on par with its rivals, just like when you had a purple Nintendo lunchbox in your living room. It might not be at peak performance, but it’s perfectly acceptable. I’m not sure how long this will last— there are rumors of delays for the next generation of consoles. But for now, Nintendo owners can finally play the latest blockbusters simultaneously with their Sony and Microsoft friends, without having to buy a second console. This is great for developers and gamers, and should reassure those who just spent $450 on Nintendo’s latest console. You’ll finally be able to keep up with the latest AAA games, and you still have that wonderful handheld mode.