Fortnite Switch 2 review: The best way to play on the go

by

In a somewhat peculiar twist, evaluating Fortnite in 2025 feels rather peculiar as well. It’s much like assessing the idea of free-to-air television, where you have an assortment of content, some enjoyable and some less so, with the primary difference being the device you use to access it. By now, if you’re even slightly acquainted with contemporary video games, you likely possess a wealth of knowledge about Fortnite. So, let’s bypass the unnecessary details and get straight to the point: Fortnite on Switch 2 offers a satisfactory gaming experience.

Having logged approximately 300 hours on Fortnite for PC and about a dozen hours on the original Nintendo Switch, I’d say the new Switch version of the game offers an experience that lands between these two platforms. It tends to be more similar to the PC version, but it’s important to remember that it’s running on a portable device with a maximum power consumption of around 40W. While my PC can comfortably exceed 20 times that power output, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Switch 2 version looks 20 times worse. Instead, it suggests a balance between performance and portability.

In terms of appearance, Fortnite on the Switch 2 is quite satisfactory overall. As reported by Epic Games, when docked, it runs slightly below 1440p, while in handheld mode, it’s exactly 900p. Given Epic’s reputation, these figures seem reliable to me. Occasionally, the graphics can appear a bit blurry in both modes, but this is offset by the game generally running at a smooth 60 frames per second around 90% of the time. There are occasional hiccups, as with every version of Fortnite, but it’s a significant improvement over the Switch version, which struggled to hit 30fps in most situations.

Using the 60fps frame rate significantly enhances your experience when you employ the newly integrated mouse mode, allowing you to utilize Joy-Con 2 as a mouse while managing movement with the other Joy-Con 2. It might take some practice to get accustomed to it, and the initial control scheme for mouse mode may seem a bit rough, but you can effortlessly adjust it, making it a highly effective choice after some fine-tuning. Although it’s not the most ergonomic setup, the level of control – for both movement and aiming – is astonishing, and it likely offers the best control option available on a console.

From a visual perspective, there’s plenty to appreciate about the game on the Switch 2. Admittedly, it doesn’t come close to the quality you’d find on PS5 or a top-tier PC, but remember, no handheld device – whether it’s mobile or a high-end handheld PC – is going to deliver graphics quite as stunning as the Switch 2 version of this game. The draw distance is impressive in both modes, the environmental textures are decent, and the enemy characters are no longer just a bunch of blurry pixels like they were on the original Switch. Now, it’s actually feasible to target them effectively.

On Nintendo Switch 2, Fortnite performs exceptionally well, surpassing its performance on any previous handheld device. Compared to the original Switch version, it’s like day and night difference. The game runs smoothly in both docked and handheld modes, making it my preferred choice for playing moving forward.

Read More

2025-06-17 18:46