Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is on its way to the Switch 2 at some point this year, and ahead of its arrival, we've got a new round of previews from GDC. These latest impressions are based on a 15-minute demo of a newly optimised build of the game.
Overall, this latest previews seem mostly positive and there is a lot of focus on the game's performance. FromSoftware's title will apparently run at around 30fps on Nintendo's new hybrid hardware on both the handheld and docked modes. RPG Site says the resolution is "either hitting or very visibly close to a native 1080p" in handheld.
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube844k
So, here are the latest round of impressions:
Polygon: "While the Switch 2 version most certainly won’t be hitting 60 FPS, it doesn’t seem too far behind handhelds like the Steam Deck anymore. At a glance, I’d wager that it was running in the 30 to 40 FPS range, depending on how demanding the scene was. I was able to take down an easy, early game boss without disruptive stutters..The performance is far from perfect, mind you. The biggest dip in frame rate I saw wasn’t in a boss fight, but when it started raining while riding Torrent through the world. That’s what makes me a little hesitant to say that FromSoftware has totally cracked the Switch 2 code."
RPG Site: "Our session was quite short, but to make the most of it, I bumrushed from the tutorial to the Margit boss fight in order to get the best representation of the game’s performance across the open world, while deliberately stretching things to the limits with active NPCs and constant loading. Even once it started raining, the game hit the 30FPS target consistently, and resolution similarly remained much the same... We also got to check out the game in docked mode, using the new lighter knight-type class added to this version of Elden Ring. The demo we played looked to emphasize quality over performance, settling in with a 30FPS framerate at a high resolution."
GameSpot: "After several months of performance adjustment, the game has re-emerged at GDC 2026, and so far, it looks to be in a much better shape. One telling sign here is that Bandai Namco has enough confidence to allow Switch 2 handheld gameplay to be recorded, albeit from an over-the-shoulder perspective. The demo can also be experienced in docked mode, and overall, it looks like the game has been well-optimized. Even with several graphical concessions, Limgrave still looks great, and it looks like the frame rate hovers around the 30-40 FPS range."
This new optimised build for Switch 2 is sounding promising, and it seems to be a step up from the previews based on the Gamescom 2025 demo. Now we just need a release date, or at least a window!
FromSoftware's new game The Duskbloods is also planned for a 2026 release, so be on the lookout for that.