While you could play Fortnite on the original Nintendo Switch, it was a less than ideal situation that made the game feel more like a rough around the edges tech demo than a polished piece of software. Because of the Switch’s hardware limitations, Fortnite could only run at 30 frames per second max, which could make it tricky to pull off well-timed shots. Character models were often so simplified that they barely looked like their counterparts on other consoles. And a combination of dropped frames, simpler textures, and overall lower resolution gave the island a choppy, muddy aesthetic quality that was tolerable, but far from beautiful.
Though it was constantly being patched, Fortnite felt dated on the original Switch in a way that made it hard to justify Battle Passes or get excited about new design changes to the island. But, similar to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Fortnite’s Switch 2 update revitalizes the game by addressing almost every one of its core issues and highlighting all of the new bells and whistles Epic has been developing for it.
Even in the Fortnite’s main menu where all of the game’s various modes, shops, and inventory screens are displayed, there was a sluggishness to how things moved that could be attributed to the OG Switch’s hardware. 30 fps was fine for choosing which skins you wanted to wear and selecting colorways for your weapons. But if you tried scrolling through your inventory of characters too quickly, you could see (and hear as the fan kicked on) the console struggling to keep up. Like the new eShop, there’s a fluidity to Fortnite’s menu navigation on the Switch 2 that immediately makes the game feel more modern and like a platform designed to keep you poking around making adjustments to your avatar because it’s fun.
On the original Switch, it was common to see Fortnite characters whose in-game models looked very different than the rendered icons displayed in your locker due to a lack of proper lighting and things like clothing physics. Because of Fortnite’s toy-like aesthetic and the fact that you’re not meant to be staring at your character head-on while playing, Epic could get away with simpler models on the first Switch. But on the Switch 2, you can see how much work the studio’s designers have put into making its version of Poe Dameron look like Oscar Isaac, and Lewis Hamilton’s braids actually move like pieces of hair that have weight to them.
Before I was usually only able to check out the lobby for a couple of seconds before being pushed onto the Battle Bus because of how long the console spent stuck on its loading screen. But during my first Switch 2 Battle Royale, what shocked me most at first was to find my avatar standing in a lobby with ample time to mess around emoting at other players and checking out what kinds of skins they’d slapped on. I actually wanted to watch people dancing and playing instruments because there was time to do so without having to rush and get ready before everyone started shooting. And once the match had properly begun, I found myself way more interested in running around to look at waterfalls and watch NPC wander through neighborhoods as the sun set because of how much more visually impressive the island is with the update’s improved lighting and textures.
Fortnite still looks pleasantly cartoony on the Switch 2, but the game’s boosted frame rate and resolution give its visuals a gloss of reality that makes everything feel more high stakes. It was thrilling to see the Scarlet Witch sprinting through the woods trying to shoot Force Lightning at a Sabrina Carpenter. Technically speaking, the characters weren’t running any faster than they could have on the old Switch, but the action felt more intense because there was far more visual information coming in.
Epic Games
There were still a handful of moments where Fortnite’s glitchiness rendered its head. Even though the Switch 2 version has better draw distances to help you see things that are far away, occasionally, I could see the train chugging along at a chopped and stuttering pace. Character selections also sometimes wouldn’t immediately be updated after I selected them, and I’d have to wait until I was in a match to see which skin I’d equipped. At a glance, those sorts of bugs seemed to have more to do with how Fortnite is streamed to consoles as opposed to being reflections of the Switch 2’s hardware. But they weren’t so persistent enough to make the game feel broken or like it wasn’t a massive upgrade over the original Switch.
One of my personal bugaboos about skin-forward, free-to-play games like Fortnite is a concern that I’ll end up spending real world money on costumes that I don’t ultimately want to use all that much. It’s why I’ve been picky about buying skins and leery when it comes time to sign up for a new Battle Pass. Fortnite on the Switch 2 can’t solve for buyer’s remorse, but the game’s updated models make me want to try more of them out instead of sticking to my favorites who look better with their masks on.
To gamers on other platforms, this might all sound unremarkable. But the difference in quality between the Switch and Switch 2’s iterations of Fortnite is so stark that feels it fair to say that Epic has finally given the Nintendo fans a version of the game as it’s meant to be played — one that’s vibrant and makes you understand why it might be worth spending a few V-bucks. And if the game’s forthcoming mouse control support is anywhere nearly as well-implemented as these visual changes, Fortnite could be one of the best new(ish) games you can play on the Switch 2 right now.
