Unreal Engine 5 Games on Nintendo Switch 2 Potentially Limited by System CPU Performance

Performance Limitations of Unreal Engine 5 on the Nintendo Switch 2

The introduction of the Nintendo Switch 2 has sparked considerable interest regarding its capacity to run games developed using the Unreal Engine 5. However, it appears that the console’s CPU may hinder the performance of these games, necessitating specific engine updates to accommodate its hardware specifications.

Analysis by Digital Foundry

In a detailed analysis presented on YouTube, industry experts from Digital Foundry explored several games utilizing Unreal Engine 5 on the Nintendo Switch 2, including Cronos: The New Dawn, Fortnite, and Split Fiction. The analysis revealed a significant absence of key features typically associated with Unreal Engine 5, such as Lumen and Nanite. The omission of these features in Fortnite is particularly noteworthy. It indicates that the engine is not properly optimized for performance on Nintendo’s new hardware, suggesting that these features cannot yet be effectively implemented without compromising game speed and quality.

Challenges Presented by the Switch 2’s CPU

Digital Foundry’s examination highlights how Fortnite utilizes “transition zones”to seamlessly load new game elements. However, this mechanism illustrates significant frame time issues that could exacerbate further if demanding UE5 functionalities were enabled. The core issue lies in the nature of the Switch 2’s CPU, which lacks the speed and capabilities of processors found in competing consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Consequently, the games Cronos: The New Dawn and the soon-to-be-released Borderlands 4 encounter performance challenges even on higher-end CPUs, such as the Ryzen 5 3600. These limitations could manifest as stuttering during traversal, and such performance dips would likely be much more pronounced on the Switch 2’s less powerful CPU.

The Need for Optimization

While pre-release discussions suggested that the CPU would not impede gameplay, it has indeed surfaced as the primary limiting factor for numerous titles on the Switch 2, particularly those developed with Unreal Engine 5. For instance, the Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Gamescom demo has also revealed performance drops that correlate with CPU limitations, emphasizing the need for additional optimization to ensure an acceptable and playable frame rate.

As further updates and optimizations are developed, the hope remains that future titles can harness the full power of Unreal Engine 5 while running efficiently on the Nintendo Switch 2.