Best Switch 2 Ports
Image: Nintendo Life

Since its launch, Switch 2 has quickly followed in its predecessor's footsteps, attracting impressive ports from other consoles which belie the modest power of its mobile chipset. It's a massive jump up from Switch 1, but we're still talking about a tablet smaller than the average paperback, and it's mightily impressive to see it handling some of the biggest games from the best devs on the planet.

Naturally, some efforts are better than others, and here we're highlighting the very best ports on Switch 2; a selection of the finest performers, encompassing not just "impossible" ports of games designed to run on much more powerful, home-bound hardware, but also efforts from developers who made the right choices — the right compromises — to get their game singing on Switch 2 without sacrificing what makes it special.

Running these side-by-side with the same game on PS5 Pro, sure, you'll note the difference! But if you're a Switch-only gamer (or you just treasure the convenience of portable play), you won't feel short-changed. These deliver the fully-formed experience in style.

Let's crack on in alphabetical order...

Best Switch 2 Ports

Apex Legends (Switch 2)

Following the disappointing Switch 1 version Apex Legends redeems itself on Switch 2. This upgrade gives us 60fps shooting action with crisp, clear resolutions and none of that juddery, unresponsive, blurry stuff we had back in 2021.

It's arguably still the best hero shooter/Battle Royale out there, with amazingly fluid traversal, best-in-class gunfeel, and a ping system that puts proper teamwork and tactics front and centre. The cherry on top, of course, is that it's free to play, too, so there's no good reason for shooter fans not to dive right in.

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Switch 2)

Assassin's Creed Shadows uses DLSS for upscaling and VRR to maintain stable frames in undocked mode, with a 30fps target. Visual sacrifices have been made to the game's detailing to preserve stability, yet it remains impressive-looking.

Taking its most captivating open world to date and offering two distinct playstyles, Ubisoft goes a long way toward appeasing current franchise fans while nurturing a new generation of assassins, presenting a huge, intricately crafted depiction of feudal Japan and giving you enjoyable dual protagonists to usher you through it.

Shadows isn't a perfect port, but it’s still a colossal achievement and one of the best-looking games on Nintendo’s console.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Switch 2)

This might have been a mess when it originally launched elsewhere back in 2020, but slowly and surely CD Projekt Red rebuilt trust following a disastrous launch and got the game where it needed to be; come June 2025, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was a remarkable launch-day port for Switch 2, with the dev's deep, diverse, and tangible world is fully realised with impressive performance for such a low-powered device.

If you've not taken your first steps into Night City already, or you're a long-time player with a portable-play itch that needs scratching, you're in for a serious treat, choom.

No Man's Sky - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)

No Man's Sky - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition brings this excellent, constantly evolving space survival adventure to your new Nintendo console in fine style. This is an almost-perfect match for other versions of the game, barring some very minor hiccups here and there.

Combat is still a bit naff, especially in space, and hardcore pirates might not get all they need from the systems in place here, but other than that, this is an almost perfect port of an almighty behemoth of a game. The sky, it seems, really has no limits.

Red Dead Redemption: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)

This might have been a 15-year-old game by the time of its Switch 2 re-release, and this update, on paper, served up the basics and no more. But after a barebones Switch 1 version, this feels like the game it was meant to be.

You've now got mouse controls for fine-aiming, and the expected resolution and frame rate increases look and feel very nice indeed. Remember the journey into Mexico, that magical bit with the music, the showstopping part? It's all the more magical when you can see the very dust in the air, the shimmering heat haze in the distance, now as clear as day thanks to pristine visuals. HDR helps things pop in comparison to the older port, that's for sure.

There's still no multiplayer, but it now feels as though the game is being presented on a Nintendo console in a manner befitting such an epic slice of gaming history. With slick controls, DLSS, HDR, volumetric effects, options to personalise mouse mode, 60fps that feels near-flawless, and a resolution bump that's got it looking super sharp, this is a gem that still feels modern, immediate, and relentlessly replayable on Switch 2.

Simogo Legacy Collection - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)

Polishing and repackaging its excellent mobile output, Simogo has created an essential collection of classics, where every one of the seven games here is worth your time.

Despite their mobile origins, these titles feel tailor-made for Switch. The devs fully embrace the console's feature set with clever implementation of Mouse Mode and dual input that makes these ports almost as approachable on a TV as they are in their natural touchscreen habitat (where rotating the small screen in your hands is elementary).

With 120fps handheld and docked (at 1440p for the latter, though there's a 4K/60 option), plus a trove of archival extras and audio-visual goodies in addition to the library itself — which includes the brilliant Device 6 and Year Walk — Simogo Legacy Collection is one of the most unabashedly original sets of experiences we have encountered in a long time. If you enjoy puzzle-driven narratives and experimental design, this bundle is nothing less than essential.

Star Wars Outlaws (Switch 2)

Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 is a very fine port of a solid Star Wars game. Kay Vess's story may over-utilise tried and tested gameplay mechanics, it may not bring anything new or hugely exciting to the table, but what it does do is give you a well-crafted world stuffed full of lore through which to explore, sneak, and forge your own path.

With solid performance and good looks in both docked and handheld, and motion controls and cross-saves thrown in for good measure, this is an easy recommendation for Switch 2 fans of Star Wars. It was also through this game that we found out that the performance of some games built for SSDs was being bottlenecked by the slower speeds of Switch 2 game cards.

Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition (Switch 2)

Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2 is a cracker, and in portable mode, it may be our preferred way to play this fantastic entry in Capcom's storied franchise. The only fly in the ointment with this port is 30fps fights in World Tour. That's a shame, and it will be a dealbreaker for some.

But if you can overlook that, the rest of what's here is crisp, clean, and as slick as we could have ever hoped. All other modes are fully featured and running at 60fps, and online works a treat, making this an early, flagship port for the console. Capcom showed on launch day that — like its predecessor — this little system can punch well above its weight.

WWE 2K25 (Switch 2)

WWE 2K25 powerbombed onto Switch 2 in an excellent port that holds its own against the likes of the PS5 version, and keeps the action smooth and silky, even when you start piling on the wrestlers in a Royal Rumble.

With great looks, best-in-class core mechanics, a ton of online, local, and solo modes, and an enormous roster, this one will keep all you Switch 2 wrasslin' fans busy for a good long time. Intergender matches, improved MyRise and Showcase, in-depth tutorials, and the return of chain wrestling are all just icing on top.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut (Switch 2)

Yakuza 0 is the best of the traditional-styled Yakuza games, with the most complex story and interesting characters of the lot. It's also the ideal place for newcomers to get started with this weird and wonderful series.

The new multiplayer mode in this remastered Director's Cut is a little throwaway, for sure, and the fights do get repetitive (turn-based Yakuza FTW), but otherwise, this is a phenomenal 4K/60 port of an epic adventure that's now probably our favourite way to get down on the mean streets of 1980s Tokyo and Osaka.

And there we are - Switch 2's best ports. Not a bad start!

Honourable Mentions

Here is where we'll give games we really liked a nod, even if the Switch 2 version didn't do quite enough to make the list above.

Best Switch 2 Ports
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

Switch 2 Port FAQ

Before we go, some housekeeping and thoughts on ports.

What do you mean by 'port', exactly?

Generally, when we say 'Switch port', we're referring to a game that launched on more powerful home-console hardware in the past and has been adapted for Switch (or in this case, Switch 2).

However, Switch 2 blurs the line more than ever between straight-up simultaneous cross-platform releases — the likes of the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, for instance — and games we'd more traditionally think of as 'ports'.

Historically, a port would refer to a downsized or adapted version of an arcade game rebuilt to run on less powerful hardware. If a game is built to run natively on a (sometimes very) different system architecture, a port attempts to translate it to another environment. Think the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man, for instance, which shares only the most basic gameplay template and iconography of the original coin-op.

Nowadays, game makers and engine designers typically factor in scalability from the beginning of development, thanks primarily to the importance of mobile gaming and the success of the Switch. This muddies definitions, regardless of whatever a game's 'lead platform' might have been. As an Unreal Engine 4 game, is Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 a port, technically, or just a late-releasing version of the 2024 game? Are the NS2 Editions ports? Are all games ports?!? WHAT IS VIDYAGAM?

For Switch 1, The Witcher 3 and Doom 2016 were quintessential "miracle ports" that brought big, technically ambitious games to a small console - games which you wouldn't expect to run on a handheld hybrid at all, let alone well.

The list above mainly focuses on games that launched elsewhere prior to appearing on Switch 2 and performed beyond our expectations on Nintendo's system. Something like Yakuza 0 (where the Switch 2 version is technically the first release of the Director's Cut) doesn't feel out of place here, though, so if you'd colloquially call it a 'Switch 2 port', you may find it listed above — if it's good enough.

As a further example to illustrate the fuzzy definitions, the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which launched on Xbox back in 2024, fits the more traditional definition of a port - a game developed with more powerful hardware in mind that's adapted to something smaller. But then RE Requiem, despite launching simultaneously on all platforms, also arguably fits that definition, wouldn't you say? IF that turns out to be an excellent version, we don't think it would be out of place here.

tl;dr

If it's a multiplatform game and an impressive technical achievement on Switch 2 — and if the game is great, of course! — we'll consider it for the list.

Switch 2 Breath of the Wild
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

What about first-party Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of old Switch 1 games?

We've focused on third-party efforts here. The Switch 2 versions of Nintendo's first-party output — games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, for instance — are generally excellent 4K/60 versions (Metroid Prime 4 boasts a 120fps mode, while Animal Crossing: New Horizons will stick to 30fps) and definitely the ones to pick given the option between S1 and S2.

Here's a list of all first-party Nintendo Switch 2 Editions for reference:

We'll be adding to and augmenting this list in the coming months (and years!), so feel free to let us know your thoughts. Think there's something we've missed that deserves a spot? Let us know in the usual place.