It is nothing short of a miracle thatCyberpunk 2077runs on the Nintendo Switch 2. Of course, from a purely technical standpoint, getting the 2020 roleplaying masterpiece to boot up and function without stuttering all over the place is very doable, especially considering the Switch 2’s substantial boost in power. However, were you to ask anyone playing on the original Switch a year or two ago whether they expected to see CD Projekt Red’s magnum opus on the Switch 2, they’d likely have laughed you out of the room.
Cyberpunk 2077very much feels like the new benchmark title for handheld devices. Much likeCrysiswas for PCs back in the day,Cyberpunk 2077will, at least for the time being, be the perfect “can it run it” test. Fortunately, the Nintendo Switch 2 very much can runCyberpunk 2077, and that has gotten me thinking about what else it could run, and which impossiblethird-party Switch 2 portscould be squeezed onto its respectable hardware. More specifically,it has me wondering whether the Switch 2 could run the ultimate impossible port.
Cyberpunk 2077 Runs Very Well On Switch 2
It Is A Miraculous Port
It is no secret now thatCyberpunk 2077’sSwitch 2 performanceis nothing short of wonderful. Naturally, those who’ve played the game on other platforms will tell you that, while it is impressive thatCyberpunk 2077runs at all on the handheld, it isn’t the best way to experience the game. I would agree that playing it on a PC or PS5 Pro on a 4K TV would, undeniably, be the best way to experience Cyberpunk 2077. However,it still looks absolutely incredible in motion, either in handheld mode or docked, and runs flawlessly, even during intense action-packed sequences.
This is a far cry from the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game at launch, which crashed and stuttered practically all of the time. It is also worth noting that CD Projekt Red has managed to wrangle a stable FPS rate, impressive visuals, and packaged both the base game and DLC intoone Switch 2 cartridge, making it a genuine physical product, unlike the majority of disappointing Game-Key Card third-party titles, or even the infamous code in a box releases.You are getting the completeCyberpunk 2077experience, regardless of whether you buy it digitally or physically.
Unlike CD Projekt Red’s previous Switch miracle port ofThe Witcher 3,Cyberpunk 2077on the Switch 2 is not a compromised experience. The blurry visuals, inconsistent frame rate, and scaling back of NPCs and in-game assets madeThe Witcher 3on the original Switch feel like a shell of its true self. This is not the case forCyberpunk 2077, which is what makes it all the more impressive. Crucially, it is also what makes me believe that,with the right level of optimization and care,Grand Theft Auto 6could run on the Switch 2 after all.
Cyberpunk 2077 Could Pave The Way For GTA 6
If Rockstar Optimizes It Well, Anything Is Possible
Ever since Nintendo unveiled its latest handheld, people have been wondering whether aGTA 6Switch 2 portis possible. AsGrand Theft Auto 6is on track to become one of the biggest games ever made, and, in turn, likely one of the best-selling games of all time,it would make sense to get it in as many hands as possible. The Switch 2 will be about a year old by the timeGTA 6’snew release date rolls around, and, considering it already has a huge install base, one can imagine how big it will be by then.
CD Projekt Red clearly spent a lot of time with Nintendo’s new hardware to optimize theCyberpunk 2077experience so well that it could shove it on a single cartridge and still have it run and look as good as it does.Cyberpunk 2077’sSwitch 2 port has exclusive controlsnot available on any other platform, making it, one could argue, the definitive way to play. So, it is likely that,if Rockstar is interested in puttingGTA 6on the Nintendo Switch 2, it too has had access for a considerable amount of time.
Should Rockstar be able to optimize it, perhaps by scaling back on certain elements, gameplay features, and assets, then we could seeGTA 6on the Switch 2 in the near future.
Now,it would take a lot of time, money, and effort to get a game as gorgeous and complex asGrand Theft Auto 6to run on hardware as old as the Switch 2. However, not only does Rockstar have a proven track record of well-optimized games, but it has also worked with Nintendo before with putting the likes ofRed Dead Redemption’sremaster on the original Switch. Should Rockstar be able to optimize it, perhaps by scaling back on certain elements, gameplay features, and assets, then we could seeGTA 6on the Switch 2 in the near future.
GTA 6 On Switch 2 Would Be The Ultimate Impossible Port
Bigger Than Cyberpunk Or The Witcher 3
Of course,GTA 6on the Switch 2 would likely be more akin toThe Witcher 3port on the Nintendo Switch.There is no way that Rockstar would be able to getGTA 6running as flawlessly asCyberpunk 2077does on the Switch 2while also cramming in every ambitious feature it sounds like it has in store. It may even go down the same route asHogwarts Legacy’sSwitch port, which segmented its open world via loading screens, rather than offering the seamless world that the next-gen versions got.
Regardless,any form ofGrand Theft Auto 6on the Switch 2 would be incredible and easily be the ultimate Switch 2 port. It would also help reassure Nintendo Switch fans that the console is still able to keep up with the current generation, at least in terms of releases, even if its versions are somewhat stripped back and simplified. That was always the deal with the original Switch, and one can hope it will be the case with the Switch 2, as the last thing users want is to be left behind a year after it comes out.
It is possible thatGTA 6’sdelay was due to Rockstarimproving the Switch 2 portand attempting to get it ready for launch so that all versions could release at the same time. That’s certainly a long shot, but if Rockstar is working on a Switch 2 version, then it should take all the time it needs to make sure it comes out perfectly. I have high hopes that Rockstar can make it work and deliver something just as good and compelling asCyberpunk 2077on the Nintendo Switch 2.
