These Nintendo Switch games need Switch 2 Editions

A couple months back, we wrote a big list of games that would benefit from performance patches on Nintendo Switch 2. That was before we knew exactly how Switch 2 Editions worked, though – and it was also before we knew Switch 2 Editions existed at all. Right now, six first and second-party Nintendo games have Switch 2 Editions: Metroid Prime 4, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and Super Mario Party Jamboree. These upgrades are all paid, and then several more games are getting free performance patches on Switch 2. Today, we’re going over existing Switch games that aren’t on either of these lists that could really use the performance or resolution boost.

Before we begin, here’s the list of games getting free patches so far: ARMS, Big Brain Academy, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Clubhouse Games, Game Builder Garage, Echoes of Wisdom, Link’s Awakening, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Super Mario Odyssey. For some of these games, it seems fairly obvious what a Switch 2 patch would do: increase their frame rate. Echoes of Wisdom, Link’s Awakening, Bowser’s Fury, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet all have inconsistent frame rates, run at 30 frames per second, or both. For other games, though, we have no idea what they could be adding. Super Mario Odyssey and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe already run at 60 frames per second, for instance. Regardless, though, there are plenty of Switch titles not on these lists that could use a performance boost. Starting with a recent one…

Mario & Luigi: Brothership has a surprisingly poor performance for a flagship Nintendo game. It targets 30 frames per second, and often has minor dips that mess up your timing on the Hammer Rally mini-game. If this were the only performance issue, Brothership wouldn’t have made the list. That being said, a story event later in the game creates a graphically-intensive fog effect on the overworld that lasts for the remainder of that save file. This is where Brothership really drops the ball – in crowded areas like Shipshape Island, this fog causes the game to stutter tremendously. It’s very possible that it goes below 20 frames per second sometimes – it’s rough. This game doesn’t need a full Switch 2 Edition with new content or anything – just a performance patch to make the endgame more tolerable.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is in quite dire need of a performance patch, too. That said, we think it’s theoretically more likely that Monolith Soft goes the Definitive Edition route in a few years to further update the graphics and performance. As it is, though, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 runs at a very low resolution in handheld mode – sometimes around 360p. As a result, it looks blurry, unfocused, and even a bit cheap when there are big objects in the background. It’s a shame, too, because the game’s actual graphics are quite good and its environments are excellent. We think a resolution and performance boost would modernize this game and allow players to better appreciate its art style.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition doesn’t need a performance patch anywhere near as badly as Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does. Its performance is somewhere between Xenoblade 2 and Xenoblade 3; the former could definitely use some tweaks whereas the latter runs consistently well on the console. Even in docked mode, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition hovers around 720p but sometimes dynamically lowers its resolution. 60 FPS would be nice, but a resolution boost would really make this game’s excellent art style pop.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition doesn’t need a performance patch on Switch 2, per se – it already runs at a consistent 30 frames per second, and it holds that number fairly well even when you’re flying through the air with a Skell. Shortly after the game released, however, dataminers noticed a hidden 60 FPS mode within the game files. The mode isn’t complete, but it does imply that a Switch 2 performance patch could be in the works – indeed, Nintendo never said the list of games getting patches was final. And if Monolith Soft is working on a patch for Xenoblade Chronicles X, then there’s a non-zero chance we get one for other Xenoblade games. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 runs consistently at 30 FPS, so it also isn’t in desperate need of a frame rate boost, but it still would be a welcome change nonetheless.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is another game that needs a performance patch, and we’re surprised it isn’t part of the list already. The game runs decently in single-player mode, with some frame dips here and there depending on the number of particles on-screen. In multiplayer, though, the frame rate absolutely tanks. When there are tons of special effects on screen, the frame rate dips well under 20 frames per second, which winds up being incredibly noticeable.

Pikmin 4 runs well enough at 30 frames per second, so it’s not very high on our ranking. But this game’s graphics are absolutely excellent and packed with charm – and we can only imagine how smooth it would feel with a frame rate boost. It’s not a necessity by any means, but it would further cement Pikmin 4’s status as (arguably) the greatest game in the series.

Rounding out our list is Kirby Star Allies, a game that appeared in our previous post on this subject, too. We can’t imagine many of you are still playing this game in 2025, but one common criticism it faced (besides the overly simple level design) was its performance. It runs at a shaky 30 frames per second, whereas its predecessors on 3DS both ran at a smooth 60 if you were playing on a New 3DS. Going from smooth performance on 3DS to shaky performance on Nintendo Switch made Kirby Star Allies feel cheaper and less polished in comparison. Which is a shame, because its graphical style is clean and polished – the game’s performance just doesn’t match. A frame rate boost on Switch 2 would clean up this game, and now that Kirby and the Forgotten Land exists, it might help Kirby fans enjoy Kirby Star Allies for what it is rather than what it isn’t (a full 3D game, which many fans wanted when Star Allies released in 2018).

What games would you like to see get a performance bump on Nintendo Switch 2? For the most part, we only mentioned first-party Nintendo games here, so if you have any third-party hopes or suggestions, you’re welcome to leave those in the comments down below as well. If you want to read more about Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of existing games (which are, in most cases, a little bit more than just a performance boost), you can do so over at the official Nintendo website. You can also find our previous article about games we feel need a boost on the upcoming console here.