GTA 6 On 'Switch 2' Would Be "Very Tricky To Pull Off", Says Digital Foundry

It’d be great to join in the GTA party but Nintendo hasn’t often been a console of choice, for several reasons. I’d love GTA VI on Switch 2, but neither of them really need each other at this point per se.

Not a big deal to me. If I cared about realistic shooting/violence games like GTA, I would've bought some other console than the Switch or the hypothetical Switch 2. These kind of games are a better fit for other consoles' profiles than a Nintendo one.

The Switch 2 will be the next console I buy, but GTA6 might finally be the game that makes me buy an XBOX or Playstation...not sure which though, I have never owned either.

While I believe Switch 2 doesn't need GTA6, nor does GTA6 need Nintendo user base, and truly loving Digital Foundry in general, this was one of their most useless analysis.
I understand trailer uses a lot of RT, but realistically solution will have to be worked out as this game is eventually going to ship to PC market (and high RT capable graphics is not going to be a minimum requirement). It's just too early to do such guesswork.

If it happens, and I strongly doubt that it will, it would need a purpose-built downgraded port, in which case, they might as well bring it to the PS4 as well, which is perhaps even less likely to happen.

We'd be lucky to get GTA IV and V on the next hardware, and even luckier if it's all on the cartridge, but I won't hold my breath for the latter.

Rockstar wouldn't even give us decent ports of 20 year old games, for crying out loud.

@Cikajovazmaj Why do you assume RT won’t be a minimum requirement in 2026? Big games are already starting to mandate SSD’s and even mesh shader capable graphics cards (excluding anything released before 2017 essentially). Rockstar aren’t obliged to support 10 year old hardware.

That said, I do think a Switch 2 port could be possible if the CPU is strong enough. We have seen PS5’s Hogwarts Legacy transfer over to Switch in a playable state, and the Switch 2 is rumored to have plenty of memory for games.

I think Nintendo should take this one not account and be very careful, because any Nintendo generation that had limited third party support had failed big time. Switch is the first Nintendo console to have a very good support and that’s why it’s so successful, but already now we see huge issues with Arkham Knight and that is a ps4 game. In a few years there will be ps6 - and Switch is weaker than ps4, significantly, and there was already ps4 Pro, Ps5, Ps5 Pro soon, and ps6 maybe in 2-3 years. Nintendo really needs to catch up if they wanna be successful. It’s not about graphics and raw power, but even if Switch 2 gets degraded ports that run terribly like Arkham Knight, it will be a very bad failure for Nintendo and so I believe the next Nintendo system should be a pure home console that could use Switch 1 as a peripheral device but Nintendo needs more power for Next gen since maybe 1-2 years after its release, there will be ps6!!! That jump could make porting under stable frame rates impossible. Careful Nintendo!!! Be very careful!!!!!

So based on nothing more than a 90 second trailer they have concluded that a game that isn't out yet cannot run on a console that isn't out yet, despite not knowing:
1. The specs needed to run GTA VI
2. The specs of the Switch 2
3. Whether Rockstar are developing a version for the Switch 2

Speculate by all means but don't pretend you know any more than the rest of us.

If they cant pull it off, its better to leave it, i dont want to have downgraded games anymore.
To be honest, switch 2 doesn't need it, gta6 is meant to be played as the devs intended it to be. People will complain after, how shi*tt*y it runs and spam the devs for a "lazy port" lol. If the NVIDIA upscaling tec can make it "almost" identical then i would say, dev yes.

@Znake,

Yes Nintendo need to be very careful, the Switch was low powered and had none of those AAA multi platform games last generation, but still sold the most number of consoles and counting, and sold over a billion pieces of software and counting. So what is your business advice to them again......

The Playstation fanboys of DF (who don't know anything about the specs of the Switch 2 or GTA6) say that it can't come to the Switch 2.

What a surprise. Not.

I don't know the specs either, but I guess Nintendo learned from the success of the Switch. And from it's shortcomings. Also they should've learned from the Steam Deck, ROG Ally and similar devices. And what I'm GUESSING is that the Switch 2 will match the Series S in performance in handheld, and will run 4K docked. GTA6 will run on the Series S, that's 100% certain.

AFAICT, we've just seen a trailer for GTA VI with no gameplay sequence and a release date set to maybe 18 months from now. Maybe everyone is a little bit too enthusiastic about this game, thinking the trailer precisely reflects what the released game will look like.

How many times have we seen a game with graphics far from what it looked like in the trailer released years before?

No worries. I'm sure they'll port GTAV over with minimum effort for $60 🙃

@sanderev : 36 minutes of unsubstantiated gossip, all because it gets them easy clicks.

@arabiansanchez you are right, but Nintendo needs third party support and that’s why Switch was successful as it is- but the gap is becoming so huge that now Switch has huge issues with Arkham knight which is a ps4 game, and PlayStation since then had ps4 pro, ps5, now ps5 pro and I bet by the time gta6 releases it will be on ps6 possible( even though they always release late gen to have higher sales) so Nintendo can’t afford to have the same issues as current gen, and it needs to be powerful enough to handle ports in stable locked framerates. Arkham knight was freezing at times on Switch. I am for a new Nintendo home console not portable and have power of at least a base ps5!

@Athropos Exactly. The PS5 and Xbox Series (especially the S model) might already have trouble to display what we saw in the trailer...

@Sisilly_G He is almost literally drooling about the "stuff they use in GTA6", based on a 90 sec. trailer.

That is what a fanboy does. Also DF said the Switch would never be able to run games like The Witcher 3 or RDR. Which.. well.. both do.

Sure the Switch 2 won't match the PS5 or the Series X. But I think it will match the Series S.

Honestly, speculating if a game that hasn't released yet would be able to run on a console that hasn't even been announced yet is kinda weird

@Znake,

I think you are confusing what you want Nintendo to do personally, with what Nintendo actually need to do. The Switch had third party support, but those games sold peanuts compared to Nintendo's own first and third party software.

You also overlook the fact most core gamers are ging to buy these AAA games on either Sony or Microsof's console, no matter how much power the Switch 2 ends up having, as it's more than just performance, it's the online infrastructure as well.

At the end of the day it will always be Nintendo software that pushes their hardware, all Nintendo need to keep doing is boosting that side of their business.

@Sisilly_G,

What?, Digital Foundry with it's whopping million or so subscribers, doing things for advertising clicks.... the mere thought of them doing this is pure insanity.... next you will be suggesting Nintendo Life does similar things... like this article..

I guarantee whatever switch 2 turns out to be it won't be as powerful as PS5 so duh. Of course GTA 6 would be unlikely. We may not even get a system as powerful as PS4 knowing Nintendo. They haven't been about power since Snes.

To be honest, GTA only resonates with Nintendo gamers if said gamers enjoy realistic shooters. More often than not, this is the public that owns more than one console (or a gaming PC), so it's no big deal.

I love my Switch, but I only buy 3rd party games that have a Nintendo feeling to them. There's no point in getting downgraded ports of games that play better elsewhere.

I don't think GTAVI is coming to Switch 2, but that's less to do with hardware specs and more to do with Rockstar not really caring enough about Nintendo platforms: GTAV still isn't on the current Switch when it can easily run the game.

@westman98 The reason GTA5 isn't on the Switch, is because there really isn't a reason to port GTA Online to the platform. Which would make porting the base game a lot more difficult.

In today's gaming world you'd be a fool to only own one console anyway. You want the latest high budget graphical showcase? Better get a second option besides Nintendo. These are just facts. If graphics ain't your draw then whatever Nintendo has at the time should get you by just fine.

@Sisilly_G
They freak out when called out on this too, they love pumping out clickbait and other attention grabbers but have this moral superiority acting like they’re above it all once everyone talks about it like when they made the infamous claims about TOTK being too big for Switch.
John is working on a video comparing Forza and Gran Turismo 7 but has acted really smug about not declaring a winner even though that video is 100% made to attract console warriors.

@RenanKJ : I can't speak for everyone, but GTA doesn't appeal to me at all as a "realistic shooter". What's appealing about the series is that it's an open world sandbox where you can run amok and wreak havoc to your heart's content.

Since no one knows the specs of the next Nintendo console except for the kits that go to some game makers (which are not the final finished system), it's nothing more than a video made for attention and clicks. I wouldn't expect it from Digital Foundry. Oh, and it doesn't matter whether GTA6 is released on the next Nintendo console or not. Nobody will buy this console specifically to play GTA 6.

I do like me some Gta but it was never the looks that appealed to me either. Sure it's nice but i just liked that it was something you couldn't usually get on Nintendo due to the content and sometimes i like a little murder and mayhem in my games. Plus it was cool how you could listen to real songs while driving around in your car. How many Nintendo games include real licensed music? Don't know of hardly any i can think of.

@CheapCheepBeach my assumption is based on AMD cards, that are a huge chunk of market, not having viable RT support until this year. Everything up to latest generation on PC basically brought FPS to twenties with tracing. Last gen top of the line AMD hardware in 2026 will be 4 years old, and it seems really aggressive not to support it.
There is also a curious case of Steam deck, where I believe a PC game should definitely target that hardware if in anyway possible (and would really need to have a good art/design reason not to).

@Truegamer79 : The Taiko no Tatsujin games (albeit mostly J-Pop), AVICII Invector, Let's Sing series, Just Dance series, GTA Trilogy, Saints Row series, FIFA (and virtually every other licensed sports franchise), Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, Burnout Paradise, Blizzard Arcade Collection, Hatsune Miku Project Diva (J-Pop), and Samba de Amigo, to name a few that come to mind.

Granted, it's not a huge amount, but there's a fair few out there. Licensed music tends to be quite expensive, so you'll only really find them in AAA, sport, and music games. And technically Smash Ultimate has an absolute ton of licensed music, albeit stuff that you wouldn't hear on the radio.

Do we need Grand Theft Auto 6 on Switch? Most people I know that enjoy ultra violent games like that aren't exactly lining up to play the latest Pokemon, Mario, Kirby, Animal Crossing, Pikmin‎, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and Splatoon games.

Nintendo is mostly a console for kids and family friendly games. Leave the ultra violent games for the X Box and Playstation.

Was never going to happen. The trailer looks amazing from a purely technical perspective, and unless there's a massive change in strategy for the Switch's successor I can't see it matching the PS5 and Xbox Series X for performance. Any version of this on Nintendo's next console will be heavily compromised.

For one Digital Foundry have no idea what Nintendo have to reveal in the specs department. Secondly I don't give a ***** for GTA especially on a Nintendo system. If I wanted it I could play on my PS5.

I'd be perfectly fine without Gta 6 on switch. I have a PS5 so I'm covered. Sure it sucks that there's just not an every game type system that'll play everything but that's just the way it is. You want violence and ultra graphics? Better get another option or go without. Until the Nintendostation comes out in 2035 you're pretty much screwed.

@Ooccoo_Jr Yeah that's kinda what they do man. They can look at the footage and discern what kind of hardware can run the combination of resolution, framerate, graphical effects, population density, etc and then deduce the obvious that no, of course Rockstar has no plans or interest in funding the same game twice just to get it running on Nintendo's next gen chipset that's been all but confirmed through several leaks over the last two years.

@JokerCK: Yeahh except we know. We've known. And even if we had no idea, there doesn't exist a mobile chip today that could push anything close to this.

@Axelay71 DF are close with most companies that have all leaked the same chipset and/or had access to meeting showing off BotW in 4K, Matrix demo, etc. that all ran exactly how the leaked chipset would run. Could Nintendo surprise us all, yeah maybe, but also probably not.

@johnvboy I think you severely misunderstood my concept. Switch success is thanks to third party support. So switch needs to be able to run new gen games with stable frame rate. I know gaming since the NES. Every Nintendo gen that had limited third party support has failed- look at N64, GC, Wii U. Wii was success partially thanks to motion gimmicks but this won’t work anymore. I am not saying Switch 2 needs to run GTA6 but Switch 2 will be the parallel gen of ps6 and Nintendo needs to stay relevant and will need to run third party games from that gen too! You need to see the bigger picture. Are you saying that it’s ok that almost 10year old games on Switch today that freeze at times like Arkham Knight is ok?! No it isn’t and Nintendo needs to be ready for this. Releasing a proper home console on par with ps5 would be better- but that most likely won’t happen of course.

This feels like a “no sh**” article lol

@SpaceboyScreams That only holds true if the trailer was running the final version of the in-engine gameplay for a game that is nowhere near finished and doing so in real time. As it was a trailer for a game that is maybe two years away, trying to determine anything from it is a waste of time. Especially as they could presumably reduce the settings for any Switch 2 version if they wanted.

Now will Rockstar want to release a less powered Switch 2 version? History suggests probably not, but the idea that concluding this game could not run on an unknown future console is ridiculous. No doubt it wouldn't run as well, but not at all? How can anyone possibly know at this point.

@Znake,

You are not reading my posts, the Switch's success is not down to third party support, it's niche at best on the console. Nintendo's own software will always make or break their hardware sales... fact.

I hope next generation we'll see the end of forced ports like this. Switch should be treated like a handheld and that's perfectly fine!
The only downgraded port I played was The Witcher, and I kept wishing I had bought it for PS4.

@Athropos How many times have we seen Rockstar release a trailer that wasn't made from clips from the in game engine? None. Not GTA4 or 5, not Red Dead Redemption 2. The trailer has several clues that it's running real time as well.

@mariomaster96 how about a game that utilizes every inch of those expensive hunking consoles' power that need to be plugged in and ventilated to run could not adequately be scaled to any current mobile chipset. Does that sound less speculative?

They would definitely have to make a different smaller game. That’s actually quite possible but I doubt it’ll happen one can wish though. Imagine a VCS or LVS type game for switch would be awesome

I wasn't expecting it on the next, Switch 2 console anyway? The fact that V never came to Switch 1 pretty much guaranteed that we won't see current gen GTAs on current gen Nintendo consoles for the forseeable future. They'd have to make a dedicated Switch 2 edition and in this day an age devs aren't doing dedicated editions for games like that.

@Ooccoo_Jr Yeah but they'd have to end up being the biggest liars in gaming history to make it conceivably possible to run on a mobile chipset. Way less RTX, way less population density, way less everything we saw in a trailer by the company that's never exaggerated in any of their impressive trailers in the past. A trailer that shows us that even the mammoth consoles at home will only be able to run these at 30fps. Anything can happen but yeah, let's get real up in this chat y'all.

It probably won't come to the system even if the Switch 2 could run it 100% perfectly. Gta 4 at least can probably run just fine on Switch 1 but that never happened either.

Either way, no skin off my back, personally. I stopped really enjoying Gta after 2. I played some Vice City back in the day too but, eh.

@MarioBrickLayer if you have never owned either, I would advocate Xbox for Gamepass reasons. I had never owned an Xbox until last year so had a 20 year back catalogue to catch up on. Still have so many games yet to play and haven't had to buy a single disk. Yes I've got the subscription cost, but to have bought all the games separately that I have played would have cost a fortune

@Znake I’d love a Switch 2 that’s basically a portable PS5 but I think that might be a little bit of a stretch honestly: Nintendo have goals concerning price, battery life and environmental effect when they make and release a new console.

I absolutely agree with you that the gap is widening. I’m astonished that Arkham Knight got out in its current state. I’ll be very surprised if Switch 2 isn’t revealed by the start of next financial year and out by Q3.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about GTA lol

Don't worry I'm sure we will get GTA V instead.

@SpaceboyScreams Where did I say that the trailer wasn't rendered using the game engine? We just have no idea what the game engine will look like two years from now, nor what hardware it will take to run that trailer in real-time. The PS5 version may even not be on par with the trailer.

I've not really enjoyed a GTA game since Vice City and San Andreas. I liked the historical and cultural reference points of those games, with their specific 80s and 90s settings. I guess to create a similar historical settings, would limit their audience in a sense. GTA 4 and 5 just were just not games I enjoyed to play. The contemporary social media focus of the trailer for the new game, isn't something that resonates with me.

It looks technically really good though, the artistry of the environments is impressive. It wouldn't affect my decision to buy a Switch 2 either way.

I think good ports of GTAIV and GTA5 (like the Red Dead port) would probably be more welcomed anyway.

...The actual specs aren't even out, though? There's rumors and educated guesses, but we haven't even actually seen it. I'm not doubting it won't be on the Switch 2 because Rockstar, I've more hope for Final Fantasy VII R-series, tbh, but that's still awfully quick to say, isn't it?

@SpaceboyScreams I absolutely agree with you that a game that needs a console the size of a small fridge to run it is probably going to struggle on one that is smaller than an ipad. We however are just guessing, not pretending we know something we don't.

@Yosher I think there'll be a GTA4 port for PS4/Switch next year given they chose to port over RDR this year.

@Cikajovazmaj I agree with this completely. Like on the one hand GTA6 may well not come out on Switch 2, because the games don’t normally come out on Nintendo hardware. Maybe Switch 2 can run it, maybe it can’t, we don’t know for sure because we don’t know the fine details of the system. The assumption that ray tracing will be the sticking point seems weird, for the reasons you state. I find it hard to believe that the Switch 2 will be inferior to the (eventual) minimum pc specs. That being said, the PR around a very downgraded port may still make it not worth it for Rockstar. Since neither the game nor the system are out yet it’s all a bit too speculative at this point.

@sanderev The DF crew aren't fanboys of any platform, except maybe the PC when it comes to Alex, but he'll even give fair analysis of console titles. To suggest such is more telling of yourself. They get accused of being PS fanboys and Xbox fanboys simultaneously as the wind blows.

@Znake sure, that's an argument for the switch 2, and as you said nintendo has a diffuclt job finding the perfect successor..

For this it isn't really thgat relevant, rockstar have been developing for the top end since always, where nintendo haven't been for 20 years.. so it's fun we now get some rockstar games, but third party support is more than just that, as we see now, with even EA getting back to supporting switch

@FishyS to be fair, the GTA port was awful on all platforms...

I think if they had the Switch specs on paper prior to it’s reveal they’d have probably said the same about games like Nier Automata, The Witcher 3, No Man’s Sky, Doom or Alien Isolation. This is a pointless observation based on just a trailer that might not even look like the final game and hardware specs that aren’t even public yet

I respect DF, but I don't respect claims to predict the future based of nothing but rumors, so I was surprised to hear this.

-hops on soapbox-

Personally, I feel we've basically reached our limits with how beautiful games can be. The margin of difference between generations is getting less and less noticeable, at least to someone like me who grew up in the 90s.

It seems we're trending towards new games being priced at $69.99, 250GB+ in file size, requiring installation on SSDs, and demanding 100s of hours of your time with little pay off. It's much more of a commitment to play a game than it used to be, and I'd rather have 100 decent looking games in my library versus only 10 amazing looking games. Thus, I think Switch and Switch 2 have good priorities with regard to a beautiful, yet efficient library of games.

Ray tracing is cool, but a simpleton like me doesn't even know the difference vs regular reflections and the demanding requirements just aren't worth it to me for something I barely notice.

-hops off soapbox-

Definitive way to play GTA is on PC anyway, the console versions are trash because they have poor graphics and constrained shooting mechanics.

@JokerCK Every video is technically made for attention and clicks, but regardless it isn't a "clickbait" video. They're spending approximately 40 minutes responding to a number of questions from their subscribers and giving their input, the Switch 2 question is one of several and isn't mentioned in the title/thumbnail etc. To know they mention the prospect beforehand would only happen by, for example, reading an article like this which focuses on that one specific part. They're not the ones baiting in this case.

1. I don't care if GTA VI comes to Switch 2 or not
2. Seems way premature to start making judgement calls on whether a game that hasn't come out and we know relatively little about will run on a system that hasn't been confirmed to exist that we know nothing about

Games are computer applications. People write them, not hardware. If Rockstar has any interest in putting this game on a Nintendo console, they can write the game to work properly for it, removing or reducing whatever they have to, properly coding, etc. This is silly. What you see in the trailer is what would potentially perform badly on a new Nintendo console.

I mean....what if they skip the switch 2 and develope the switch 3 instead? What say you then????

@MSaturn Agreed, the sticking point on RT is super weird, I feel like it's highly likely they'll have a graphics option on PC to turn RT off, especially since a large percentage of the graphics cards Steam users are using still don't support RT.

GTA V was originally released on PS3 so I'm sure they could make a Switch version of it, even based on PS4 version with some downscaling. Skipping last gen don't mean that Switch 2 (a mobile console that's expected to be as powerful as PS4 but with modern architecture) won't be able to run a port of GTA VI. Lets wait and see

Best case scenario games that can work on the Series S can work on the Switch 2 or whatever next gen will be called and by the sounds of it developers don't want to make their gamed compatible for the Series S

@KBuckley27 If they don't release it on the Series S they can't release it on the Series X. MS doesn't allow that.

I'm sorry but this is kinda a dumb argument. Theorizing that an unreleased game won't be able to run on a console that doesn't even exist. Every time I hear news about the "Switch 2", it always seems to vary quite a bit from previous reports from specs to hypothetical games to release date, I honestly don't know what to believe about the console anymore. All I know is that it will come out in the future.

Pretty sure nobody expected this right?

@JeongersGaming They always have been fans of Playstation versions of games (even when those were far worse that XBOX versions), they hated on the Switch and called it underpowered and it wouldn't be able to run games like the Witcher 3 and RDR. Just like 90% of the posters from Pushsquare.com would say.

Yes, they are fanboys. They indeed also post technical analyses of consoles and games, but most of them have strong PS-bias.

There's no good reason GTA 5 isn't on Switch yet, so this isn't really that surprising. Oh well. There are other, better games out there. Rockstar's loss. 🤷‍♂

What I find interesting about this.
They don't know the Switch 2's specs
They don't know GTA6's requirements
They don't work for either of these companies.
Experts in their field, sure, but we don't know enough to make call.

Although, I don't think it'll be on Switch 2 either.

Considering they won't even make a PC version (which is nuts considering the game is made on PCs lol), and that GTA6 should be even way more scalable than GTA5 (engines getting better in mamny ways) i just doubt it's an issue of power but more about willing and $$$.

If Rockstar thinks there's enough profit for their invesment on Switch 2, it'll probably come out. By the time Switch was out (and remember, WiiU was a massive failure so developers probably werent that interested, at least until it became clear the switch was a success) and had a decent player base GTA5 was like 6 years old (if not more) and probably everyone had it.

Switch was also a dif architecture which mean porting an old engine and huge game even more of an issue, and that means more invesment.

Nowadays, ARM is way more prevalent than what it was 10 years ago, so engines are taking into account that architecture when being developed.

It'll not be as pretty, but if Nintendo approaches R* and there's enough incentive and demand, it'll totally come to Switch 2, maybe not on release, but later for sure.

The discussion around Nintendo consoles and whether games like GTA are viable on a Nintendo console are always interesting ones. I have always seen it as a chicken or egg situation.

Like, do these types of games not hit inherently because of the fanbase (whatever that means) of Nintendo consoles, or is it due to Nintendo consoles just not matching the others in terms of specs? So you either end up with these games either not on their at all or in stripped-down versions. Therefore, no one is going to give these versions a second thought.

And I know the thought is that mo one bought a Gamecube, so Nintendo fans and Nintendo don't care about specs. But my feeling was maybe the issue wasn't so much a powerful console being the issue. But maybe it's many of the other things Nintendo didn't do right that resulted in a Gamecube or even a Wii U not being big hits rather than Nintendo inherently doesn't or can't work in a powerful console space.

@Astral-Grain I agree with this completely too! I’m through with chasing graphics. Don’t care, haven’t cared for a long time. Waste of developer’s time and resources if you ask me.

As much as I want literally everything ported to Switch, I have no issue with GTA 6 skipping it. The game was MADE for next gen and I absolutely respect it for that, in fact it'll be the first PS5 game I get! I would however like a port of GTA IV and V on Switch, though.

If you try to stuff all the redundant resolutions and VFX glitter originally meant for wall-plugged crates and season this endeavour nonexistent engine scaleability, of course it would be tricky. Will it be worth it? This has been answered for about seven years now.

That said, I'd much rather get GTA V this or next gen in hybrid format for now. I still have mixed feelings about the prospect of reserving another 100+ Gb of storage for it on Deck, especially as the kind of game you don't exactly install for a couple months.

I like DF, but we still don't know if the Tegra 329 is going to be in the next Switch update. One thing I believe it will have is DLSS and AI.

Also, I'm not expecting any Switch version of this game for a while either, even if the hardware can handle it.

@Athropos

Based on Rockstar’s history it’s likely the game will look BETTER than the trailer.

RDRII and GTAV’s release versions were better graphically than their reveal trailers.

Well yeah, the Switch 2 will mostly likely be what Steam Deck levels? Nah GTA 6 will be pushing the PS5 and especially the Series S hard so a Switch 2 stands no chance.

They didn't even bother to port the Xbox 360 version of GTA V to Switch.

@UmbreonsPapa

From what I understand the main reason the GameCube never got GTAIII, VC, or SA was due to storage limitations caused by the mini-DVDs.

@eltomo They know enough to have an idea on how powerful a Switch 2 will be. The Switch 2 will be weaker then the Series S why? Because a portable Series S would murder the battery life and cost a fortune and once you factor in SSD's the price shoots up even more. Look at Steam Deck and others like it they're only really around PS4 and One X levels and that's because they have to be for good battery life and so they can be sold at a reasonable price.

My guess is Switch 2 is sub PS4 levels. I don't like it but I've read this book before. As Nintendo fans, we just need to realize that we will not only never have cutting edge graphics, but that were probably going to be a generation and a half behind. Hopefully Nintendo makes up for it in other ways.

They couldn't port Vice City to Switch, of course they won't be able to port anything to Switch 2

Whatever that will be
Whenever it will come out

@eltomo This 100%. "Very tricky to pull off" despite them or anyone else knowing what tech is inside the Nintendo Switch 2, how technically demanding GTA 6 will be, how scalable it is etc etc. All just pure speculation which the headline itself would do well to contextualise.

This is a realistic expectation for a successor console that would most likely still be based on mobile architecture. You can't seriously expect a game of that scale to run on the hardware, let alone even fit on the storage.

"GTA 6 On 'Switch 2' Would Be "Very Tricky To Pull Off"

Then i guess it's a good thing that there will never be a switch 2.

I don't get why people thought that GTA VI will look like that trailer they just showcase, for all we know it could just be a trailer of cutscenes as most doesn't feel like gameplay materials. It could easily be an early tech demo showcase or like those trailers we saw with that failed piece of trash that was The Day Before. Also know that Rockstar isn't the great dev like they use to be, a majority of their veteran team members were layoff during the pandemic so the final game could still be trash just like the GTA Trilogy or GTA V for PS5.

the ps5 pro would be the best console to play the game.

I’m sure it will require online connectivity and online accounts anyway… and in a few years won’t work when the servers aren’t around. So, even if it came to the current switch, I don’t care. Not supporting that crap that companies like rockstar like to do

@OrtadragoonX Yeah right, GTA Trilogy looked SO MUCH better than its trailer.

@johnvboy By that reasoning, the GameCube must have had a poor first-party library! While I agree with the basic premise that Nintendo games are the main draw for Nintendo platforms, there's clearly more going on.

@UmbreonsPapa I think we could be living in a very different world had GameCube supported DVDs and online more prominently. Can’t be understated just how integral a built in DVD player was to the PS2’s success. More powerful machine + DVD player + Nintendo exclusives would’ve made the choice between GC/PS2 much more competitive

@electrolite77 I'm guessing you mean Switch 2 being comparable to a PS4, as Switch 1 was comparable to a PS3. That's sort of my expectation too. If they include hardware upscaling and RT, it may be even slightly better than that on some titles. Just like some ports ran better and worse than the PS3 versions depending on how the dev used the tech on the Switch.

@electrolite77
The best point of comparison for Switch 2 is probably the SteamDeck, which is comparable to a base PS4 in terms of raw GPU/teraflop performance but has a much better CPU, more RAM, and faster storage.

If course the comparison isn't 1-to-1 since Switch 2 is almost guaranteed to use an Nvidia chip (rather than AMD) so DLSS upscaling is practically guaranteed which should help a lot.

But yeah I wouldn't expect GTAVI on Switch 2 either way.

So they have a "Switch 2" in hand and know exactly what its specs are? No, they don't... oh, then maybe just don't speculate and assume. It makes you look silly!

@DennisReynolds the Switch 2 will be BEYOND Zen 2. Arm and X86 are nothing alike toward each other. I suspect the Switch 2 will be on par with an iPhone 14 Pro, or at least an M1 Mac, which is easily more powerful and efficient than a Steam Deck.

Something doesn't add up here - if the rumored Switch 2 specs are legit, the Switch 2 will support an Nvidia Ampre GPU. Now, the devil is in the details (memory, clock speed, etc.) but Nvidia's RT performance is generally a lot better than AMD's, and coupled with DLSS , the Switch 2 should perform very well with RT support.

Frankly I don't care about GTA on the Switch 2 - but the reasoning strikes me as suspect.

@progx Can those Phones run the new Avatar game? Baldur's Gate 3? ARK Survival Ascended? Robocop?

@smoreon,

Totally different things, the gamecube was competing in the core market, that had already been won by Sony and Microsoft, no wonder Nintendo jumpt from the core marketplace.

@Athropos

That’s the exception. That was a shameless money grab from top to bottom. And actually the trailer was crappy in and of itself. The final game resembles it.

Go back and look at GTAV and RDRII. Both were better than their trailers.

@johnvboy What you previously said was simply: "Nintendo's own software will always make or break their hardware sales... fact."

Yes, Sony (Microsoft is debatable!) had already taken over the core console marketplace, so Nintendo went off in a different direction after that. But that just goes to show that there's more at play here than Nintendo software, as the GCN had a killer lineup of exclusives, yet still ended up with mediocre hardware sales.

The thing I find about their dissing of a Switch 2 that has never come out? Is there something they aren't telling us that they had the Switch Development Kits and now fumbing the results? The more I hear they talk about the Switch 2 and lack of power the less I find them creditable at this point.

As we don't have specs I am going to ignore DF, but I think that as Nintendo gone without GTA this long (mostly they have had a few ports and spinoffs) that it won't cripple the successor's momentum. The issue I can see is if baseline 3rd party games don't work. If 50-70% of games can be ported and 3rd party devs are on board, then the successor will be fine (same as the gamecube and switch). As Nintendo games (and imo indies) lead Nintendo Hardware sales, but for this new large install base the more 3rd party games that users can also get on the successor the better...but I don't think most consumers expect full parity.

Why wouldn't we be able to have a handheld version of it? I don't mean the erxact same game, just one for a handheld? Y'know, like the good old days.

Besides...does anyone actually know what the Switch 2 is yet? Did I miss a meeting?

@MarioBrickLayer this sounds a lot like me 5 years ago. Since then I joined the PlayStation team besides owning Nintendo consoles. If you're a fan of videogames there's no reason not to buy a ps3, 4 or 5. There are literally hundreds of gems waiting for you. And those are not violent shallow games, no they are deep emotional highly artistic expressions that happened to be videogames.

@GrailUK Publishers and Devs for that matter no longer want to split a project into different architectures (hence all the contracting port studios for switch games) when it is easier to chase whales on the standard consoles and PC (Plus since Nintendo no longer strong arms companies (I don’t agree with the practice but I see why it was done or why Sony pay for exclusives/release windows)) then they are often ignored by some devs (like no reason for EA to not port all their sports games...but they only ported the one that A) is most popular and B) had a contract stipulation (until they left FIFA)), unless Nintendo throws money at a dev and even that gets mixed results).

I don’t know why we are taking about GTA6?
A proper developer will develop a game for the hardware from scratch.

Ports? That so 2020! 😅

@smoreon
Yeah it definitely feels like there are many other aspects, the wiiu for example wasn't aiming to compete with playstation and xbox and also had a strong library of first party games (going by reviews, reception, etc) the switch by comparison felt like it had a lot more mass-appeal and felt a lot more versatile as a system, it also allowed many of those wiiu games to get a second chance which was nice.

@electrolite77
Yeah its odd that theres this idea with some that DF has some vendetta against nintendo, as you mentioned they have been extremely positive towards quite a few nintendo games and have had glowing praise for impressive ports or technical marvels on the system, they also had a lot of praise for things like Mario wonder and how its animation and physics really made the game feel good to play.

For me if the next system is a "switch 2" using the T239 it does seem like it would open the doors to a lot of games we ended up missing later in the switch's lifespan, since it sounds like it would be similar in specs to ps4 only using more modern technical wizardry to potentially get even more out of it.

@DennisReynolds they probably could. The iPhone 15 Pro is running the full versions of RE Village, RE 4 Remake and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The Switch 2 could run GTA 6, but we don’t know what the specs are going to be. Also, I don’t see it getting released the same day as the PS5 and Xbox Series versions even if it can. It’s safe to say it’ll be more powerful, plus easier to use, than the Deck.

@smoreon,

Which is why I said make or break, some generations and consoles Nintendo's software has done great business, sometimes not so much, of course the platform itself has to take some of the blame, as their software can;t be expected to save every situation.

I personally can't wait for GTA 6. Rockstar is going to save gaming once again.

I'm expecting some pretty horrific monetization in VI. I have a PS5 anyway. Maybe R* will just let Grove Street do another embarrassing port? They don't care about their games unless they are current, so wouldn't surprise me.
One of the most overrated devs out there, imo.

@GrailUK,

All those YouTubers for clicks know the Switch 2 power, oh and Digital Foundry, who did a speculation video, based on rumors, that are now speculating on a trailer of a game, that nobody knows how the final product will turn out........ but are pretty sure will not run on the Switch 2.... even though nobody knows it's real specs as yet, pretty sure that's the gist of it.

@johnvboy i get what @znake is saying to be fair.

If Nintendo doesn't release their next system soon, like 2024 by latest, they'll find themselves in direct competition with the PS6 again.

Part of the reason why Nintendo did so well with the Switch was the release timing, but if they wait any longer now, they'll lose that advantage.

@Reztobi,

Nintendo are not competing directly for the same market, which is why the Switch has been a massive success. Although not sure when I suggested Nintendo were not bringing out the Switch 2 next year.

@progx Yeah it runs Village but it isn't great on there plus all those games mentioned are cross gen as the OG PS4 has them. The games i mentioned are current gen only very demanding games with two of them running on U5, ARK would melt the phone haha. I can't imagine Avatar running on a phone at all as well and i highly doubt Cyberpunk would either.

I just saw some gameplay footage of GTA Online on base PS4 and the game is a total mess: terrible frame rate, stuttering, and objects/environment failing to load properly when driving (which you will spend 40-50% of the game of the time doing). Honestly it almost reminded me of the terrible Arkham Knight port that just released on Switch.

So I guess porting GTAV on Switch would require some effort on Rockstar's behalf, which seems like they would never provide given the current state of GTAV on last-gen consoles.

A bit too early to say this when we don't even know what the Switch 2 will be, let alone the tools that can help with porting.....

But yeah, I'm not expecting GTA 6 on Switch 2 more because of Rockstar's decisions rather than the hardware and capabilities itself.

Funny how people think they can decide what GTA comes to Switch when they aren't in the Devs team. It marvels the mind people thinking they are the Devs and also DF has no Devs insight beyond their talking points so that in itself is no confirmation of much of anything at this point for games they are not part of or development for and or Switch 2 console R&D from Nintendo. Anyone with their right mind would see the NDA writing on the wall to avoid any legal proceeding from Nintendo.

Question, how does Digital Foundry know this? Do they have the specs to Nintendo's successor console? Do they have a kit? So basically they are making an assumption based off of what exactly? They have no idea what the successor console is or what it is capable of, so how then can they tell what can and can't be brought to it?

@jeremiah31 @Ooccoo_Jr

They have a lot of information about the Switch 2 hardware and modern gaming technology. Did you watch their 30+ min breakdown of the GTA 6 tech?

meh who cares? GTA 5 wasn't needed to sell Switches, and GTA 6 isn't needed to sell Switch 2s. If Rockstar wants to make less money not selling on the most popular system, that's their problem. No reason Nintendo needs to worry about it.

@johnvboy It sounds like we're using different definitions of the expression, then. What could it mean, though, besides the crucial, deciding factor: that a good lineup of Nintendo games means good hardware sales, and the lack thereof means bad sales?

GameCube had an amazing library of exclusives, so those games didn't "break" it. But they didn't "make" the hardware sales either, as people generally avoided it for reasons other than those killer exclusives (whether that was insufficient third-party support, a perception of weakness or technical inferiority, the persistent "kiddy" image that follows Nintendo, etc.).

@smoreon,

The Gamecube failed because the console was going after core console gamers, who had all jumped ship by that time, in favor of Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo's exlusives and third party games, were not going to alter that.

Kinda what we expected, I mean handhelds usually trail about a generation behind consoles. Even more reason to go Nintendo-Sony this gen.

@Znake

"Nintendo really needs to catch up if they wanna be successful."

Wtf? lol

@Polvasti It's the "sandbox experience" that got me hooked on GTA V for 5 years straight. It was great, almost felt like an MMORPG. I don't care much for GTA VI story (im afraid of current political ideologies being ingrained into it) even though 5's story and acting was great. If they can continue and even widen the success of the online portion of the game, we will play GTA VI well into 2035 i think, again across three console generations!

That said, I'm busy playing a whole bunch of retro games and not sitting on hot coals about GTA VI.

Did anyone actually expect Florida Man Simulator 2025 to come to the Switch successor?

It shouldn't come to switch 2 anyway. Nintendo consoles have been consistently underpowered compared to their contemporaries for a long time now. They would most likely have to make so many concessions to get it working that the end result would be unfavorable to most. Just like what happened with the recent Mortal Kombat 1 port. What a terrible pile of puke that was.

Nintendo will be just fine with 1st and 3rd party games made specifically for the hardware, as they always have been. No need to waste time and resources by cramming in software that the system can't handle.

Anybody here ever played Body Harvest or Space Station Silicon Valley on N64?

GTA6 can run on N64 using the older engine, ergo, it can run on Switch. The question is it worth spending the time to either run the program in an older version of the engine, or just skip the system again. L.A. Noire runs fine, and I haven’t any issues with Red Dead Redemption. (My personal playing experiences. I speak for nobody else but myself.)

GTA5 did have two prototypes running, one for Wii, one for Wii U. The Wii version used Manhunt 2’s engine. The prototype I viewed was just Strawberry rendered. It looked pretty good. I never viewed the Wii U prototype, which I believe was canceled after porting the engine to work poorly in development phase. I did see a photo of a random screen, but that doesn’t mean jack during development.

The reason GTA5 wasn’t ultimately released for Wii was Nintendo’s very sour online for that system (GameSpy managed it), the lack of a native hard drive (512 MB would never cut it, and the SD card slot didn’t stream data, as it was more of a despository or “book shelf” for download Shopping Channel programs), and allowing a USB hard drive isn’t in Nintendo’s favor. Even if Rockstar proposed packing in a hard drive, Nintendo would say no (based on previous experiences from the studios I worked had) because the game would be about $100 or $150 for Wii.

I better stop before I break an NDA.

@FishyS actually this takes me back to c64 days, where i was perfectly happy with my downsized simcity port until i saw the pc version...

@Duncanballs @Pete_Stooge It would be a tough choice! Game Pass looks epic and there are loads of XBOX games I'd love to play (Starfield, Gears of War, Halo etc) but Sony has some amazing exclusives too in Last of Us, Spiderman, Horizon etc.

It doesn't really matter. The next Zelda for Switch 2 will look like it's at least a generation ahead of the console's tech. TotK shouldn't have been able to run on the normal Switch either.

@rotekps_aniger
RDR was a ps3 game originally. It's no wonder it runs without problems on the Switch. As for "GTA 6 can run on N64... I don't know what to say Even if it was somehow possible, it's not gonna be even remotely the same game at that point.

We'll have to wait and see. Who knows. GTA VI is over 2 years away and we still have no announcement on Switch 2.

@MarioBrickLayer good luck making up your mind. I never owned an Xbox, so I can only speak for Sony's PlayStation: it totally rocks. But Xbox can't be so popular for no reason either.

What are these guys even talking about? A pre-rendered trailer for GTA 6 and an entirely hypothetical Switch 2.

@koffing They have a lot of information about the Switch 2 hardware and modern gaming technology. Did you watch their 30+ min breakdown of the GTA 6 tech?

This a matter of opinion only not factual or actual hardware being shown for anyone to know what it is or what GTA is really like since neither of these two are in hands of DF to begin with. They can only speculate about the Switch 2(?) and GTA but have nothing concrete to show anyone of either that anyone can gleam from.

@SwitchForce You could actually watch Digital Foundry instead of making assertions about who they are or what they do. I have a background in computer graphics and software engineering and they make a lot of sense to me. Nintendo can’t beat physics or modern economics so you can make wise educated guesses about what they can do.

DF employees are taking screen measurements, looking at chip releases and leaks based on power requirements, acquiring and running custom hardware to emulate other systems.

You can call what they do “opinion” but you can also say your doctor, dentist, or bridge engineer has “opinions.”

Is it possible that there’s a custom GTA 6 that eliminates most of the crowds and game logic and has a completely different lighting system? Sure. I would argue that would be a different game.

Makes no difference to me as I don’t care for Rockstar’s games. But it would be nice to have as many hits as possible for the next system to be successful. More success, more 1st party Nintendo games (which is mostly what I care about).

While these guys know a LOT about graphics technology, they don't actually know very much about making video games.

@koffing Those are just opinions since they have no Actual hardware or GTA 6 games to tells anyone what it really does or doesn't do. That is a FACT so one can opinion all they want but end of the day they don't have the Switch 2 or GTA6 to provide anything other then opinion reviews.

@SwitchForce by that same claim weather prediction is all a farce because they don’t KnOw the actuals.

GTA 5 isn't even on Switch, yet they're already talking about this?
I think the franchise coming to Nintendo hardware goes beyond tech capabilities. We only got the trilogy, yet GTA 5 could perfectly run on the Switch based on both PS3/PS4 era specs.

If Nintendo wants this kind of games for their next console, they could be there. Besides, those leaked specs must be like, outdated by more than a year ago. I swear sometimes it feels a forsaken stigma has grown with them against the Switch over time.