Today, I’m adding two more games to the list of games that have seen improvements when played on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!
Apex Legends
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Players: 60 Team Competitive (Online)
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Review:
WARNING: THIS GAME HEAVILY PUSHES MICROTRANSACTIONS
Wow, talk about a night-and-day difference. When Apex Legends was revealed to be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025 just a few months after the hybrid console launched, it was revealed that publisher Electronic Arts had opted not to go for a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game, but instead just made an entirely new version for Nintendo Switch 2, and this absolutely seems to have paid off. Both versions are free-to-play so it’s not like you’ll need to buy it again, and focusing on a version exclusive to this platform seems to have enabled them to focus on making something designed with the Nintendo Switch 2 in mind, and it shows.
Before getting to the differences, I feel like I should start with one I don’t often mention in these Nintendo Switch 2 Difference reviews – file size. And that is because the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game is a whopping 78.5GB, compared to the Nintendo Switch version, which was about 30GB. This beats out WWE 2K25’s 74.7GB, Split Fiction‘s 69GB and Cyberpunk 2077‘s 60.3GB to be the new biggest game on the Nintendo Switch 2… for now. Just be aware that if you want this game, you’ll want to be sure you’ve cleared the space for it.
Given the larger file size, it may surprise you to find that this game has faster loading speeds than the Nintendo Switch version, loading into the main menu from the title screen in only 6 seconds compared to 21 on the original Nintendo Switch. Loading into the game from the main menu is about the same, though – about 18 seconds in both versions.
But the real shocker is just how much the game is improved. What was ugly, extremely blurry visuals on the original Nintendo Switch with tons of pop-in is now much, much cleaner, with none of those issues, with improved textures and character models. In terms of specs, where the Nintendo Switch version of the game ran at 25-30FPS with a resolution of 720p in docked mode and 576p in handheld mode, the Nintendo Switch 2 version runs at a solid 60FPS with a resolution of 1920×1080 in docked mode and 1792×1008 in undocked mode (Thanks to GVG for the numbers!).
This improvement in graphics and performance cannot be understated. Where many felt the Nintendo Switch version of the game was nearly unplayable, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game looks and plays great, even outdoing the PlayStation 4 version of the game.
If that was all this was, this would be an outstanding redemption for Apex Legends on Nintendo platforms, but this version of the game also goes the extra mile, not only retaining gyroscopic motion control that was in the original Nintendo Switch version, but adding optional Joy-Con 2 mouse mode controls, including dynamic mouse mode controls that swap between standard and mouse mode gameplay on the fly when you place the controller on a surface. I feel it’s worth noting that this dynamic mouse mode wasn’t included in the mouse mode options for Nintendo Switch 2’s other free-to-play shooter, Fortnite.
All in all, this is an absolutely massive upgrade for this game that not only rights a wrong from the original Nintendo Switch, but actually gives Nintendo Switch 2 owners a genuinely excellent version of this game. And while I don’t think this is quite on the level with the sort of variety you get in Fortnite, this is still an outstanding online-focused First-Person Shooter that’s well worth getting for Nintendo Switch 2 owners looking for a solid free game to add to their collection.
tl;dr – Apex Legends is an online-focused free-to-play battle royale-style First Person Shooter where there’s an emphasis on coordinating with your 2- or 3-person team to survive. This is a game with a steep learning curve, so if you haven’t already played the game elsewhere, you’re likely to get killed extremely quickly. That said, the Nintendo Switch 2 release of this game is an absolutely massive improvement over the Nintendo Switch version, with excellent graphics and performance, albeit at a cost of a massive 78.5GB file size. However, if you’re looking for a solid First-Person Shooter that doesn’t have to be a hit to your wallet, this is an excellent choice.
Grade: A-
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Asphalt Legends
Genre: Arcade Racing
Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen), 2-8 Competitive (Online)
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Review:
(Note: After the original review, this game has had its title changed to Asphalt Legends Unite and then simply Asphalt Legends.)
WARNING: THIS GAME HEAVILY PUSHES MICROTRANSACTIONS AND LOOTBOXES, AND USES WAIT MECHANICS
After Disney Speedstorm received a free patch to upgrade the visuals and performance on Nintendo Switch 2, I thought it might be interesting to look at Gameloft’s other free-to-play Racing game on Nintendo Switch and see how it fares on the Nintendo Switch 2. With Asphalt Legends having not received a patch, I expected something of a gap between the performance changes the two games got, but I didn’t expect it to be this drastic.
Checking the loading times, this is a rare example of a game that fares worse in some ways on Nintendo Switch 2. Where the game took 37 seconds to load into the main menu on Nintendo Switch, it oddly takes 41 seconds on Nintendo Switch 2. Loading into an actual match is better, cutting down Nintendo Switch’s 11 seconds into 7 on Nintendo Switch 2 (depending on the internet connection), however, this is fairly minimal.
Don’t expect a graphics or performance boost here either. In fact, if anything this game looks worse on Nintendo Switch 2, due to more prominent aliasing that really hurts the game’s otherwise slick look.
Long story short, I don’t know why, but I would actually say that playing Asphalt Legends on Nintendo Switch 2 is actually not as good an experience as playing the game on the original Nintendo Switch. It is still playable, and has all the benefits and flaws I mentioned in the original review of the game, but with the changes to loading times being negligible or even worse in some cases, and the visuals looking a bit uglier, it definitely seems like Gameloft needs to work on patching this game on Nintendo Switch 2 like they did with Disney Speedstorm. When that happens, I’ll give this another look, but until then this is a game best left to the original Nintendo Switch.
tl;dr – Asphalt 9: Legends is a Free-To-Play Arcade Racer that’s bogged down by all sorts of nasty microtransactions, which is a shame because the game underneath all of that is one of the best racing games on the Switch. I’d argue that the microtransactions can be worked around, and since the game is free to play, you should definitely at least give it a try – on balance, I’d argue that the game is definitely worth the hassle.
Grade: B
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I hope you enjoyed this latest batch of Nintendo Switch 2 Difference Mini-Reviews, and found them to be helpful! Want to see all Nintendo Switch 2 Difference comparisons? Check out this page for links to every article where I’ve included these comparisons!
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