Kingdom Hearts 3 is hitting the Nintendo Switch 2 alongside every other entry in the series ahead of Kingdom Hearts 4 (which has a real chance of releasing in 2027) with the Kingdom Hearts Collection [I～III], finally giving Nintendo users the chance to play these games natively on the go. However, Square Enix has already launched a playable demo for the port of the third entry in the series ahead of the collection's October launch.
While it is not broken by any means, an early analysis by ElAnalistaDeBits highlights that NVIDIA DLSS is a necessity for the Nintendo Switch 2 to even match the PlayStation 4 in certain games.
While the game uses dynamic resolution scaling on Nintendo Switch 2, employing a dynamic 1080p resolution in handheld mode and a dynamic 1224 resolution in docked mode, the image quality differences with the PlayStation 4 running on PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility are minimal, with only lower resolution and changed reflections in handheld mode.
What's really noticeable, however, is the difference in performance. Despite running at a similar resolution and the same detail with some spec advantages, such as a more modern architecture and more RAM, the Nintendo Switch 2 runs Kingdom Hearts 3 significantly worse than the PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility, often dipping in the 30 FPS range, where Sony's console keeps a steady 60 FPS.
The reason behind this is easily said: Kingdom Hearts 3 doesn't support NVIDIA DLSS on any platform because of its legacy Unreal Engine 4 build, and, as such, always outputs at native resolution. This significantly impacts the Nintendo Switch 2 version, as the hardware upscaler is what makes the console often punch above its weight, delivering very solid ports with Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Although the performance of the Kingdom Hearts 3 demo on Nintendo Switch 2 could be cause for concern for those looking forward to a stable 60 FPS experience, there's a good chance the final game will perform much better. There's a recent precedent for this, as Square Enix delivered the aforementioned Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in a much better state than the demo suggested. As such, more optimization work could be done in time for release to deliver an experience on par with that of the other previous-generation systems.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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