Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for the Switch 2 – not worth it for most
14.6.2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Nintendo fans will finally be able to enjoy CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece Cyberpunk 2077. The port for the hybrid console is pretty decent, but the game doesn’t run any better than on the three years older Steam Deck.
Cyberpunk 2077 demands a lot from hardware. The 2020 title is still used in many benchmarks today, after all. This begs the question: how well can the Switch 2 handle this? After a few hours of playtime, I can say it does pretty well, but there are some limitations too.
Few settings
The troubles already start at the settings. You can only choose between the Performance or Quality preset. With the latter, you can see more details, but have to live with a target frame rate of 30 frames per second (FPS). With the Performance preset, 40 FPS should be possible, the game will just look less sharp. When docked, you get 1080p resolution in both modes. In handheld mode, this drops to 720p in the Performance setting.
Do note that Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology is activated by default, meaning Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t run natively at 1080p resolution. In truth, DLSS scales the image up to your desired pixel count.
In contrast, you get a dedicated preset on the Steam Deck, for example, and can still experiment with countless settings. These restrictions are due to the fact that CD Projekt Red has optimised its game for the Switch 2.
This Switch 2 port has room for improvement
What strikes me right from the start is how few NPCs and little traffic there are in Night City than I’m used to from PC. This helps the Switch 2’s comparatively weak hardware to run Cyberpunk 2077 at all.
Apart from that, Night City looks stylish, at least in handheld mode. The low 1080p resolution is very easy to notice on a TV. If you’ve only owned a Switch so far, you won’t notice it as much. But if you own a PS5 or a PC, the difference will be obvious: everything looks more angular.
If you play the game in handheld mode, don’t stay away from a power socket for too long: the Switch 2 will run out of juice in just under two hours.
The game isn’t as optimised as I’d expect from a port. In the few hours I’ve played so far, I experienced several crashes. It’s not quite as bad as the PS4 version in 2020, but I’d still have expected a more stable version.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Switch 2 can’t always maintain its target FPS. In heated battles or while racing quickly through the city, it apparently drops below 30 FPS in both the Quality and Performance presets. Pop-ins and pixelated textures aren’t uncommon either.
What bothers me most, only in handheld mode mind you, is how the Switch 2 screen simply can’t get bright enough for Cyberpunk 2077. Even when playing indoors on a sunny day, I can hardly see anything in dark areas. The Steam Deck with OLED is much better.
Steam Deck OLED makes things (even) better, but still not perfect
Admittedly, the Steam Deck has things a little easier than the Switch 2 since the game only runs at a resolution of 800p there. On the smaller screen – the Steam Deck is 7 inches across, the Switch 2 7.9 inches – this lower resolution also isn’t as noticeable. What’s more, Valve’s handheld is already three years old and there’s no dedicated Cyberpunk port for it.
I usually play unported games with the Steam Deck preset, but change the upscaling from AMD FSR 2.1 to Intel XeSS 1.3 using the Balanced setting. With FSR, the image often looks grainy – it’s not as nice as on the Switch 2 . XeSS solves this problem and offers roughly the same performance.
Visually, both versions are virtually identical in handheld mode while gaming. Docked and with pixel peeping on large monitors, the Switch version clearly has the advantage due to its higher resolution. However, the Steam Deck performs better in handheld mode. I haven’t had any crashes in ages, pop-ins are less frequent and the frame rate is also more stable than on the Switch 2. Especially in the demanding Dog Town, it can sometimes drop below 30 FPS, but not as bad as on the Switch 2. In summary, I get the impression that Night City is busier on the Steam Deck since there are more NPCs and vehicles on the road.
If you already own Cyberpunk 2077 on another platform, you don’t need it on the Switch 2
Despite my complaining, I find it amazing that Cyberpunk 2077 even runs on the Switch 2 at all. Especially when you consider that the Switch 2’s hardware, like that of the Switch 1, is outdated at launch. Nvidia’s Ampere architecture, on which the chip is based, is already five years old, as is Samsung’s 8 nm process.
I hope CD Projekt Red will further optimise the port with a patch. In this state, I can only recommend the game to two groups of people. Gamers who only own a Nintendo console or those who want to play the game with the ingenious gyro controls of the Joy-Con 2. You’re already better off with the three-year-old Steam Deck and a reasonably powerful PC, a PS5 and Xbox Series anyway.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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