The Switch 2’s beefier internals have given quite a few Switch 1 games a massive performance increase despite not getting an official upgrade for the new console.
Nintendo has finally released the Switch 2, and with it has come a handful of upgrades for some of the original console’s most popular games.
But what about the lesser-played games? According to reports from Digital Foundry and dozens of others across social media, the new device’s beefier specs do, in fact, provide better performance for some of the Switch 1’s poorly performing games.
Digital Foundry found that one of the “worst” games to release on the platform, Batman Arkham Knight, has received a massive improvement in performance alongside games like The Witcher 3, while others have discovered better load times in games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Switch 2 automatically makes some Switch 1 games better
Back when Arkham Knight came out on the Switch in 2023, it was known to have abysmal performance on the console and Digital Foundry even considered it to be the “worst performing software” they have ever reviewed.
However, booting the game up on the Switch 2 shows a massive increase in FPS according to their testing. You can see in the video that the new device offers a stable 30 FPS, which is a massive upgrade from the varying performance the original offers.
“The Switch 2 fixes all of its performance issues, at times doubling the framerate,” they said. “Put simply, Switch 1 games run better on the Switch 2.”
Batman isn’t the only game that’s received a massive increase in performance either, as The Witcher 3 also provides a solid frame rate of 30 FPS without any major drops while playing.
Not every improvement is focused on frame rate, however. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for example, has much better load times, with one example showing as much as a 30-second improvement. Pokemon BDSP loads 13 seconds faster on the Switch 2, making it easier to Shiny hunt starters as well.
On top of the basic improvements seen in Switch 1 games just by playing them, Nintendo has offered upgrades for games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and more. For all Switch 2 game upgrades, check out our list.
