Fallout 4 on Switch 2 seems inevitable, but what about Starfield? 

Now that we know pretty much everything about the Nintendo Switch 2, it seems clear that the new Nintendo handheld should be able to support years of third-party games. With developers calling the new machine a beast of a handheld, it seems obvious for companies to bring older games that were impossible on the original Switch to the new device. 

As we all know, Bethesda was one of the biggest supporters of the Nintendo Switch. The studio’s port of Skyrim was not just an early release, but a major hit, and other ZeniMax studios followed suit with miracle ports of Doom, Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein 2 to the system. So what should we expect for the new handheld?

Fallout 4 and 76 on Switch 2? Yes please. 

Obviously, Bethesda isn’t confirming anything at the time of writing, and Nintendo’s secrecy surrounding its devkits might have kept pre-release hardware away from the now-Microsoft-owned studio as Xbox works on its own handheld system. 

However, with Microsoft’s willingness to bring Xbox-exclusive games to the original Nintendo Switch, it would make sense to bring more games to the Switch 2 such as Fallout. 

While not the best Fallout game, Fallout 4 is still a great time, and the modern CPU of the Nintendo Switch 2 means the game should run great on the handheld. With a proper port, one that fixes the game’s rough multi-threaded performance, Fallout 4 could run like a dream on the handheld in a way that even Steam Deck can’t handle. (Although the lack of awesome mods like Fallout London would be a shame.) 

Additionally, if Fallout 4 is such an easy win for Switch 2, what about Fallout 76? While we’ve complained that Diablo 4 on Switch 2 would be a pain because of its always-online requirements, FO76 is an MMO, so being always-online is kind of a given. 

Despite a bigger world and more intensive effects work, Fallout 76 often runs better than Fallout 4 on all platforms. Since the Switch 2 is handily running games like Cyberpunk 2077, there’s no reason why the MMO couldn’t run on the new handheld. In fact, it should run great, and I’d fully expect 1080p 60fps in portable play. God, I want that port right now. 

Okay, but what about Starfield? 

Obviously, this is the big elephant in the room: Starfield. We all know that the Nintendo Switch 2 most probably won’t be able to run The Elder Scrolls 6, if it even releases this generation. Planned for launch on Xbox Series and PC, TES6 is going to be pushing hardware to its limits. 

However, we’ve seen how Starfield performs on lower-spec hardware, and it definitely seems possible on Switch. Now that the game has received some heavy post-launch optimisation, it does seem feasible for the game to run on the Nintendo Switch 2 with low-to-medium settings, albeit with some help from Nvidia’s DLSS support. 

Microsoft has yet to bring Starfield to any other platforms, although a PS5 port is allegedly in the works. While it’s not the best Bethesda game, it’s still fun. I’ve put almost 200 hours into the game on Xbox and I can imagine having a blast replaying on Switch, if Xbox allowed the port to happen. 

Starfield runs pretty damn well on handhelds like the ROG Ally X and with platform-specific optimisations, the Switch 2 would be a damn good place to play the game. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee Starfield will leave Xbox which makes it a little bit weird as one of the only true exclusives outside of Halo and Gears of War. 

It seems obvious that Bethesda/ZeniMax/Microsoft will support the Switch 2. I fully expect Panic Button to pull another miracle port for DOOM: The Dark Ages despite the game’s high-spec PC requirements, and Fallout 4/Fallout 76 ports seem like a no-brainer. However, as ever, Starfield remains a mystery.