Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Switch 2 review
The most important third party release for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a port of Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion Phantom Liberty, but how does it run on the new console?
If you'd asked me before the Switch 2 was unveiled, what game I would want to put in my pocket and carry around all day, it would probably have been Cyberpunk 2077. If you'd asked me what I thought of Nintendo, I would have shrugged. PC and PlayStation have long been my bread and butter and Nintendo are usually only a secondary consideration.
Like many fans, I've been following the game all the way from its first loud statement of a trailer in 2013, with my first playthrough being in 2020, after its disastrous launch on last gen hardware. Based on the 1988 tabletop game, which was in turn heavily inspired by the work of the writer William Gibson, there is an expansive universe of language, lore, and narrative in Cyberpunk 2077 that gives the game great weight and depth.
I first entered the world of Night City to pilot my own chromed-up Valerie on the PS4 Pro, once some of the early patches had killed off the worst of the infamous last gen launch bugs. Even then, it was capped to 30fps and I found myself clipping through the world at regular intervals, the black void loading screens between some scenes stretching on for a full minute at a time. Night City itself, a vast neon-bathed techno sprawl, was largely empty. There was simply not enough processing power to allow for dense crowds and busy roads.
For this review I revisited my PS4 Pro edition and played the first three hours, before diving into the Switch 2 version, and I can only conclude that the pure magic of the game itself is what kept so many of us sticking with it to the end, despite the poor performance.
In a way, the nightmare launch was almost a blessing, as CD Projekt Red have not stopped repenting for it. We got a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 edition – a rare snippet of altruism from a developer in today's gaming climate – and a wonderful Bond-esque slice of DLC in 2023's Phantom Liberty, that was criminally excluded from The Game Awards (the rules were later changed for Elden Ring's 2024 DLC).
I should acknowledge that Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on the Switch 2 occupies a weird space in terms of new releases. In an era of constant remakes and remasters, a port of a game that is now almost five years old, as a flagship third party launch title for the Switch 2, is an odd sell.
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But I see Nintendo's logic. Cyberpunk 2077 has long been a benchmark for graphic performance. Indeed, the new 50 series Nvidia GPUs had Cyberpunk running front and centre in their marketing for achievements in, albeit controversial, AI-boosted graphical fidelity and frame rates. So Nintendo, or rather CD Projekt, pulling off a passable version of Cyberpunk 2077 on the Switch 2 is a perfectly braggable achievement.
So, to address the sceptical gamer's key question: is it a buggy, unplayable mess, à la 2020?
Well, no. In fact, it's really good.
I'll admit I was nervous playing the preview at the Switch 2 Experience – how on earth would a 40fps cap, at 720p in handheld mode, handle intense gunfights, when I'm used to 100+ fps on my gaming rig? But this thing is a technical marvel, surgically jammed into less than 64GB by CD Projekt Red's own ripper doctors (AAA studios, take note).
Visually, Nintendo's DLSS and ray tracing capabilities are doing a lot of heavy lifting. The lighting is seriously impressive and feels current gen. The graphics sit comfortably well above the nine-year-old PS4 Pro, and a little below the hefty PlayStation 5.
In handheld mode you'll get around two- and a-bit hours of gameplay. Make of that what you will, but you won't find the console burning up in your hands, which is impressive. The unit feels only a little warm to the touch after several hours.
Crucially though, I've been playing happily and willingly every day since launch and have yet to encounter any serious crashes. Do frames drop a bit when you're trying to kill 20 of the most chromed-up 6th Street Gang members you've ever seen, in a bustling Night City in handheld mode? Yes, of course. There's some stutter in areas of the map and whilst driving, but it's just not enough to throw you out – especially when you recall the PS4 Pro's capped 30fps and frame stutter.
Anecdotally, the main issue I've encountered in combat is actually that it is far too easy to hit the grenade button (R) on the Joy-Con in handheld mode. When you're jamming the shoot bumper (ZR) right next to it as much as I do, bad things are bound to happen. And that bad thing is panic-dropping a grenade at V's feet mid-combat. Ouch.
The Pro Controller or third party controller is therefore a recommended addition to your playthrough, trust me on this.
What's also impressive is that CD Projekt Red have utilised absolutely every bell and whistle Nintendo has to offer with the Switch 2. The user Interface and menu system is fully touchscreen, whilst narrowly side-stepping naff iPad accusations.
You can also, hilariously, use the Joy-Cons like a Wii remote. I highly recommend running around with mantis blades and pulling punches during the street-fighting side quest, it's hugely satisfying and I've never felt more cyberpunk. The best part is that none of this feels like a forced, obnoxious gimmick. It's just cool and it's there if you fancy it.
CD Projekt Red may well spend the rest of Cyberpunk's lifespan, and all future titles, repenting for the launch day disaster. But in repenting we've gotten a solid and complete game that pulls out all of the stops, with nothing spared. Putting the game on a physical, 64GB cartridge, that doesn't require you to download most of it, also feels like a direct nod to the consumer – as unlike most other third party titles this doesn't come on a Game-Key Card.
But what about other handhelds? It offers a hell of a lot more flexibility than the Steam Deck's offering, whilst certainly being far more reliable and stable. There is the Xbox handheld just around the corner, but it's widely predicted to cost more than the Switch 2, as the two year old ROG Ally series goes for £450-£800 across all variants. So the Switch 2 version not only performs better than other handheld options but it's overall cheaper too. More Trending
Of course, if you've never played the game before, perhaps because the Switch 1 was your last gen console, then this is an easy sell. It's not the best version of the game but it's a classy port that works well in both handheld and TV mode, with very few compromises.
Update 2.3, due out on June 26, is set to be the last one for the game, so the question is: when that's released will I be logging in on my high-spec gaming PC, my PlayStation 5, or the Switch 2?
Much like the chromed-up street rats that roam Night City, I am a creature of convenience. So, getting to play the game in an unbroken state wherever I want is a very tempting prospect. Although the cross-platform save support means that if you're enough of an insane gonk to own multiple copies, you don't actually need to make that choice.
Formats: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PCPrice: £59.99Publisher: CD ProjektDeveloper: CD Projekt RedRelease Date: 5th June 2025
Age Rating: 3
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