Digital Foundry has released its technical analysis of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition running on Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console. The review evaluates how both the main story and the Phantom Liberty expansion perform on the system.
It is noteworthy that the Phantom Liberty expansion is included, despite CD Projekt Red choosing to exclude older consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. The Switch 2’s ability to run this content is impressive, though it represents the greatest strain on the hardware.
The game offers four visual modes on Switch 2: 30fps quality and 40fps performance, each available in handheld and docked formats. Resolutions vary as follows:
- Handheld Performance: 640×360 to 1280×720
- Handheld Quality: 800×450 to 1440×810
- Docked Performance: 960×540 to 1920×1080
- Docked Quality: 1280×720 to 1920×1080
DLSS technology is employed, though fast-paced action can introduce visual artifacts like blurriness and temporal noise. Aside from resolution, visual quality remains consistent between handheld and docked play.
Texture quality on Switch 2 matches the PS5 and surpasses the Xbox Series X and PS4 in many respects. While many textures are uniform across platforms, Switch 2 achieves notably crisp image clarity thanks to DLSS, especially compared to PS4. However, pedestrian and vehicle density is closer to PS4 levels, resulting in less populated environments to maintain stable frame rates.
Shadow quality varies: indoor shadows on Switch 2 are superior to PS4, but outdoor shadows are slightly weaker.
Performance-wise, the Switch 2 maintains 30fps in quality mode during the main story, but frame rates dip to 20-25fps in the more complex Phantom Liberty expansion environments. In 40fps performance mode, indoor areas generally hold steady near 40fps, while outdoor zones and intense combat can reduce frame rates to around 30fps or below.
Handheld performance appears roughly equivalent to docked, though Digital Foundry notes limited testing in this mode. Variable refresh rate (VRR) enhances smoothness during portable play, but frame dips below 30fps become more noticeable.