Elden Ring was initially positioned as one of several big third-party games headed to the Switch 2, but following a Gamescom 2025 demo that showcased several technical issues in From Software’s open-world action-RPG–particularly in handheld mode–publisher Bandai Namco delayed its release. After several months of ‘performance adjustment,” the game has re-emerged at GDC 2026, and so far, it looks to be in a much better shape.
One telling sign here is that Bandai Namco has enough confidence to allow Switch 2 handheld gameplay to be recorded, albeit from an over-the-shoulder perspective. The demo can also be experienced in docked mode, and overall, it looks like the game has been well-optimized. Even with several graphical concessions, Limgrave still looks great, and it looks like the frame rate hovers around the 30-40 FPS range.
One thing to note is that attendees only had 15 minutes to play the game, and that’s hardly enough time to see how it performs during more demanding sequences. Still, the current footage looks promising.
The footage also shows off a glimpse of the new Knight classes and options to customize your mighty steed, Torrent. The extra months of development seem to have paid off, and hopefully this bodes well for From Software’s upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods.
As the Switch 2 gets closer to turning a year old, the console has proven to be a surprisingly powerful platform for big AAA games. While some sacrifices have been made, games like Final Fantasy Remake, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows offer a level of performance that prioritizes consistency over flashy graphics.
Several more good-looking third-party games are on the way to Switch 2–like Tales of Arise and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth–while first-party games like 2027’s Pokemon Winds and Waves might show what the hardware is truly capable of.