Baldur’s Gate 3 on Nintendo Switch 2 is more than possible, claims ex-Nintendo marketing lead

Near-full details of the Nintendo Switch 2 have been officially revealed following a brand-new direct. While Nintendo has yet to reveal the exact technical specs of the console’s RAM and SoC setup, a host of new games, specs, prices and more have been revealed for the new machine. The company has also revealed why a host of Switch 1 games won’t run on Switch 2.

With games like Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the console on launch day, Nintendo Switch 2 is a massive technical leap over the 2017 handheld (which was already running 2013-era hardware). In a recent podcast, just before the Direct, former Nintendo marketing leads Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang explained that the new handheld should be capable of running games such as Baldur’s Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is possible on Nintendo Switch 2

While Larian Studios has not revealed any official plans to bring its amazing RPG to Nintendo’s new handheld, Ellis and Yang claim the new console should be more than powerful enough to play the amazing game. The two ex-marketing leads explain that the console is more than capable of playing anything that can on a Steam Deck, using BG3 as an example.

“A lot of these big studios got a lot of experience and positive feedback through putting their game on the Steam Deck and translating it to a piece of hardware that’s maybe not as powerful as the high-end PC,” Ellis explained. “They saw, ‘no wait, there’s a lot of people that want to play a version that’s maybe a little bit dialed down because they want that extra form factor.”

“I’m talking about Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m talking about Elden Ring. I’m talking about Cyberpunk. The list goes on … we don’t yet know the complete under-the-hood power of the Switch 2, but it’s not crazy to say, ‘well, if it can run on a Steam Deck it probably can run on a Switch 2, right?'”

Larian Studios also has a history of creating miracle ports of its intensive RPGs. For example, the intensive-for-its-time Divinity Original Sin 2 received an amazing port to iOS and the original Nintendo Switch. With key optimisations made to the studio’s in-house engine over the past year, a Switch 2 port of BG3 should be more than possible.

Judging from the quality of gameplay footage we’ve seen in the recent Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, the new Nintendo handheld should also provide a substantially better experience in Baldur’s Gate 3 than a device like the Steam Deck. As someone who has played both Hogwarts Legacy and Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam Deck, the footage we’ve seen on them running on Switch 2 is considerably higher quality than Valve’s trusty machine.

Personally, I didn’t have a great experience playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Steam Deck, although it’s a fine way to play if its the only option you have. However, if a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game does release, I will be all over that in a heartbeat… considering I’m able to actually get my hands on one.

While Larian is officially leaving Baldur’s Gate 3 behind to create its next RPG, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the studio to give the game one last hurrah on the new Nintendo handheld. Please, Larian, please.