How to Utterly Embarrass Yourself While "Playing" Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2
The port includes Shadow of the Erdtree and runs well enough on Switch 2, though docked play shows texture pop-in and slowdown.
- On Friday, August 28, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition launches on the Nintendo Switch 2, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Switch 2 owners can experience FromSoftware's biggest hit for the first time on the hybrid console.
- Running a colossal open-world action-RPG on a handheld device represents a technical challenge, with FromSoftware targeting 30 FPS. The Switch 2's extra horsepower enables ambitious ports previously impossible on Nintendo's original console.
- Navigating the 'thick air' of The Lands Between proved an initial adjustment for players accustomed to 60 FPS on other platforms. Frame drops occur during agile boss encounters like Red Wolf of Radagon, though most combat remains smooth.
- Portability transforms the experience, allowing players to spend 20 minutes clearing camps or seeking Sites of Grace during daily routines. The hybrid console makes incremental progress easier while exploring the sprawling landscape across portable and docked modes.
- Performance during intense late-game battles like Promised Consort Radahn remains a significant point of curiosity, as the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC poses potential hardware challenges. Early hours play smoothly, but demanding endgame encounters will test the Switch 2's limits.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition shines on the Nintendo Switch 2
It is arguably one of the best games of all time; Elden Ring became a smash hit when it debuted back in 2022. The extremely difficult and beautiful Souls-like game was and still is undeniably a breathtaking masterpiece. It is safe to say it surprised everyone when FromSoftware advised they were making an edition for...
After several hours with it, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition plays much better than I'd expected on Switch 2, but it isn't without its flaws
The power of the Nintendo Switch 2 definitely knows its bounds, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo and its fellow publishers from trying to push the handheld device to its limits by porting some of the more demanding and gargantuan of games to the console. The release of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is one example of that ambition. I've only been able to spend about ten hours with it so far, which saw me clearing out Weeping Peninsula, Stormveil …
From the freezer to the takeover. One of the greatest games of all time is now landing on Switch 2, and the creator's new experiment will be exclusive to the console. It's so brave it borders on stupidity.
Elden Ring on the Switch 2 isn’t tarnished
FromSoftware is hoping to make a splash on the Switch 2 later this year when it launches The Duskbloods, a gothic competitive multiplayer game that's unlike anything the studio has made before. But before that, Switch 2 owners have a chance to experience the studio's biggest hit for the first time thanks to a port of Elden Ring and its expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. For the most part, the new version - called the "Tarnished Edition" - is the …
I wasn't convinced by Elden Ring Tarnished Edition until I played it on Nintendo Switch 2 — now I think it's one of the system's most impressive ports yet
What a difference a year makes. Back when the Nintendo Switch 2 was first being shown off in 2025, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition looked like a disaster.Review infoPlatform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2Available on: Nintendo Switch 2Release date: August 28, 2026Preview events allowed journalists to play a horribly compromised game with a flipbook framerate, then tellingly wouldn’t let them share any footage of it. This seemed destined to be an embar…
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