Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition on Switch 2 – Night City, Now in Your Hands
A Second Shot, A New Platform
Cyberpunk 2077 has taken one of the wildest journeys in modern gaming history. From its infamous launch to its impressive redemption arc, the game has evolved into a sprawling, richly detailed RPG worthy of the praise it now receives. Now, with the Ultimate Edition arriving on the Nintendo Switch 2, the question becomes: can Night City thrive on handheld hardware? Surprisingly, the answer is… mostly, yes.
A Technical Tightrope Walk
Let’s get one thing out of the way: no, the Switch 2 isn’t going to match a high-end PC or current-gen console in raw horsepower. But what’s here is impressive. CD Projekt Red and their porting partners have pulled off a minor miracle, bringing the entire base game, all post-launch updates, and the acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion to a portable platform without completely gutting the experience.
Visual fidelity takes a hit, of course. Some texture detail is softer, and certain effects like ray tracing are absent. But the performance is surprisingly solid. Frame rates hold steady in most areas, and dynamic resolution scaling does a respectable job of keeping the action fluid. Load times are longer than on other platforms, but manageable. For an open-world RPG of this scale to run smoothly on a handheld is no small feat.
Night City Feels Alive – Even on the Go
What’s remarkable is how much of the original game’s atmosphere remains intact. The neon-soaked alleyways, corporate fortresses, and dusty Badlands still feel alive with detail and danger. Crowds are slightly reduced, but the world still pulses with activity.
The real star is the story. V’s journey through a fractured future full of power struggles, cybernetic body horror, and personal redemption lands just as hard here. Dialogue choices, branching paths, and the tension of your choices carry over in full. The voice acting, writing, and cinematic presentation are all present and accounted for.
Combat and Systems Hold Up
First-person combat translates surprisingly well to the Switch 2, whether docked or handheld. Gunplay remains snappy, hacking tools are just as versatile, and stealth remains a satisfying option when it works. The full suite of weapons, skill trees, cyberware, and crafting systems is present. Nothing feels watered down, though the UI can feel a bit cramped on handheld mode and may take some getting used to.
Performance and Polish
Technically, Nightreign runs well. FromSoftware has learned from past launches, and the expansion feels smooth across the board. Framerate drops are rare, even in the most effect-heavy encounters, and the visuals – while bleak – are stunning. Lighting and texture detail stand out, especially in interior spaces where flickering torches cast uneasy shadows.
That said, the UI still has its clunky moments, and inventory management hasn’t received much love. It’s not game-breaking, but it remains one of the few areas where the series still lags behind more modern conventions.
Verdict
Elden Ring: Nightreign is not just more Elden Ring – it’s a darker, denser evolution of it. It challenges returning players to refine their skills, dig deeper into its lore, and brave some of the most intense boss fights FromSoftware has crafted to date. It doesn’t reinvent the formula, but it doesn’t need to. This expansion embraces the ethos of the series and sharpens it into something leaner and more personal.
If you’ve been yearning to return to the Lands Between, Nightreign is the call you’ve been waiting for. Just be prepared: the night is long, and mercy is in short supply.
