Back when Nintendo first announced the Nintendo Switch 2, a slew of major third-party games that would've never been able to run on the original Nintendo Switch were immediately confirmed to be heading to the Nintendo Switch 2. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring were among those titles, but while Cyberpunk 2077 has made it to the Switch 2, nearly a year later, Switch 2 players are still waiting to start their journeys in the Lands Between.
Technically, Switch 2 players should've already had their hands on Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, the Switch 2 variant for FromSoftware's biggest success yet, since it initially had a 2025 release window. A delay in October 2025 pushed it into a 2026 release window, with FromSoftware specifically saying that it needed more time "for game performance adjustments."
Which, admittedly, was not a big surprise considering previews of the Switch 2 edition were not very positive when it came to the frame rate and the game's overall performance on Switch 2. However, new previews of the game from GDC 2026 from outlets like GameSpot, Polygon, RPG Site and others in attendance at this year's convention show that FromSoftware has been busy ensuring that Elden Ring will at least be a smooth experience on the Switch 2, whether in docked or handheld mode.
None of the mentioned previews go as far as to say that the game is running at 60 FPS. In fact, they all make a point to note that we should expect 30 FPS, and at most, a 40 FPS mode may even be possible by the time it arrives on Switch 2.
30, or even 40 FPS, may not be everyone's ideal, but it is certainly better than the sub-20 FPS that the game initially seemed to be running at when it was one of the third-party titles playable at the very first Switch 2 previews in April 2025.
And since there's still no set release date, hopefully, FromSoftware is taking all the time it needs to get the game's performance and visuals to hit a perfect balance on the Switch 2. Elden Ring is already one of the best games of this generation (and arguably one of the best games ever made). If it can reach a smooth 30 FPS on Switch 2, that's all players on Nintendo's new hybrid console will need to see the game's quality for themselves.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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