During the official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2, the inclusion of an Elden Ring port was confirmed. While somewhat expected due to the new console`s enhanced capabilities, it still raised questions about how such a vast and graphically intensive title would fare. Recent reports from Gamescom suggest that the game`s demo is significantly struggling with a low frame rate. Furthermore, Bandai Namco representatives reportedly prevented attendees from capturing any footage of the demo, adding to the apprehension.
Felix Sanchez, a video producer for Nintendo Life, openly detailed his experience with Elden Ring on the Switch 2 in a published video. He candidly expressed his disappointment:
“It`s really bad, and I understand why they don’t want you to see this, because wowie zowie, it is terrible.”
Sanchez also confirmed that neither direct capture nor `over-the-shoulder` recording of gameplay was permitted by the staff.
Sanchez voiced his doubt that the game would be released in its current state, comparing the experience to playing a classic like Ocarina of Time due to the persistent low frame rates. He noted that the performance often hovered around 20 frames per second, frequently dipping to as low as 15 frames per second.
It was specifically pointed out that Sanchez played the game in handheld mode. While the tutorial section of Elden Ring reportedly ran adequately, performance sharply deteriorated upon entering the expansive open-world area, highlighting the severity of the issues.
As of now, Elden Ring does not have an official release date for the Switch 2, though it is still anticipated to launch this year. This timeline theoretically provides developers with an opportunity to address the reported performance shortcomings. Nevertheless, the true capacity of the Switch 2 to handle Elden Ring will only become evident upon the game`s official release.