GameCentral plays the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Resident Evil Requiem and is shocked at how it compares to the PlayStation 5 edition.

Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in the illustrious survival horror series, is out today and, surprisingly, it’s available for the Switch 2, as well as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Mind you, Resident Evil does have a long history with Nintendo hardware, particularly from the GameCube era, when it debuted the Resident Evil 1 remake, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil Zero. Most people still probably think of the PlayStation first, when it comes to the franchise, but Nintendo second.

However, from the Wii onwards, Nintendo hardware has always been several steps behind the PlayStation, in terms of raw power, and so it’s been impossible to port games to Nintendo consoles in the same generation. We would’ve assumed, without question, that was also true of Resident Evil Requiem, because it is a great looking game and the Switch 2 is nowhere near as powerful as the PlayStation 5… or so we thought.

Although our main review of Requiem is on the PlayStation 5, we were also sent the Switch 2 version and we are genuinely shocked at how good it is. In terms of content it’s identical and in terms of graphics… it’s definitely not as good but the differences are mild enough that a casual observer is unlikely to notice the difference.

We want to be clear: if you care about playing a game with the best graphics possible then the Switch 2 is not the choice you should be making. However, it does have obvious advantages in terms of portability, so that’s what you need to factor into your decision, when balancing up what version to get.

We’re not going to pretend to be technical experts but the moment you play Requiem on Switch 2 the compromises are obvious to a veteran gamer, as it’s not a consistent 60fps. Requiem is an action game, especially when you’re playing as Leon, but we’ve all been playing 30fps action titles for decades, right up until the start of this generation, so it’s hardly an unforgiveable flaw, especially in a slower paced game like Resident Evil.

There’s also something a little off with the lighting, where it seems less realistic when interacting with moving objects, and we assume the resolution is being upscaled using DLSS technology but the latter isn’t obvious at all and the game still looks fantastic.

We’ve already discussed Nintendo’s strange reticence to talk about the Switch 2’s power, with not only no tech demos but no first party game to act as a demonstration of the console’s abilities. Normally when a console maker doesn’t talk about a feature it means it’s below par but it’s perfectly in keeping with Nintendo’s contrariness that their silence actually means the opposite.

The opening hour of Requiem features two short sections in a busy city street and while it’s not quite as photorealistic on Switch 2 as it is on PlayStation 5 – with simpler object models and textures – it is still far better than you’d ever expect. Things are even more impressive when you get inside a building, as the more controlled environments look almost identical to the PlayStation, with only characters’ hair, especially Grace’s, looking noticeably different.

Nothing is quite identical, if you start running side-by-side videos, but it’s nothing that any normal person is likely to recognise. The only time the Switch 2 does show its hand is in terms of the frame rate, which is unlocked – so it varies from a full 60fps to below 30fps, especially in handheld mode. This can occasionally cause problems when there’s a lot going on on-screen but even the PlayStation 5 had the occasional hiccup, particularly in one particular boss battle (that we won’t specify for spoiler reasons).

Overall, it’s a superb port and alongside Star Wars Outlaws and Final Fantasy 7 Remake shows that PlayStation 5 games are perfectly viable on the Switch 2 and, depending on how you prefer to experience your video games, potentially superior – thanks to the portability.

Given these releases, and upcoming titles such as Elden Ring, it would seem that any game that doesn’t rely heavily on 60fps is a good candidate for being ported to the Switch 2. The only problem is the price, since Requiem costs exactly the same as the other console versions.

Ports of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village were also released today and while we haven’t played them we assume they work even better, as they were on the PlayStation 4. They are cheaper than Requiem but still more expensive than the same games on other formats, where they benefit from years’ worth of cumulative discounts.

We do feel Capcom is missing a trick by not charging slightly less (perhaps they could’ve tried talking Nintendo into subsidising them) as that would likely turn even more people into picking the Switch 2 version. That’s not the situation at the moment though, which means the choice is yours, between a slightly compromised portable edition and a more graphically advanced home version.

It’s an interesting choice to have to make and given most ordinary people aren’t going to see any difference in the graphics it means that, so as long as these ports sell, you should see a lot more in the future, from every publisher.

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