12 Nintendo Switch ports that you would never have expected-this is how they play themselves

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There were many games at the Nintendo Switch that shouldn't actually run on her. Before the Switch 2 release, we look back on a few flops and insider tips.

1 / 2512 Incredible Nintendo Switch ports that you would never have expected-this is how you play © Amazon / Nintendo / Rockstar Games / Studio Wildcard / Hello Games / Bandai Namco Entertainment Germany

2 / 25An almost notorious Nintendo Switch port is "Ark: Survival Evolved". Already in the trailer there were background scenes with low-polygon trees, but the overall picture was much worse during the release. The Dino survival game visually reminded of “Turok” on the N64. Since the publication of the "Ultimate Survivor Edition", the game should actually be playable. In the Nintendo Switch variant it reaches a metoscore of 66. The original, on the other hand, was punished violently. © Amazon / Studio Wildcard; Assembly: Ingame

3 / 25"Ark: Survival Evolved" at the Nintendo Switch - does not have to be © Ark: Survival Evolved - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica)

4 / 25The city building game "Cities: Skylines" only made it onto the switch with difficulty. The weak hardware is clearly noticed in larger cities. In addition, there is a hardly available level of detail, textures that load late and a blurry veil that lies over the entire game. Touch screen support is missing completely and the updates were set shortly after the release. Nevertheless, the game is surprisingly playable, does not crash and even contains the DLCs "after dark" and "snowfall". However, I cannot really recommend the switch version. © Amazon / Paradox Interactive; Assembly: Ingame

5 / 25"Cities: Skylines" on the Nintendo Switch - does not have to be © Cities: Skylines - Nintendo Switch Edition | Nintendo Direct 9.13.2018 (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica

6 / 25When "No Man's Sky" launched as a PlayStation Exclusive in 2016, the space exploration game could not meet the high expectations, but developer Hello Games went out of their way and improved the game with free updates. This is also the reason why the Switch version, which was released later, is the edition with the best rating on Metacritic. Of course, this is only possible thanks to the excellent quality of the port. Despite the graphic compromise, the game runs surprisingly well on the handheld console and is perfect for on the go. Impressive. © Amazon / Hello Games / Bandai Namco Entertainment Germany; Assembly: Ingame

7 / 25"No Man's Sky" at the Nintendo Switch - Recommendation © No Man's Sky - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica)

8 / 25Hardly anyone would have expected “Overwatch”. The overall overall runs okay on the Nintendo Switch. Ranked matches are little fun on the weak hardware and, especially on a large television, washed out textures and lack of details. However, the version is perfectly fine for a few casual rounds in handheld mode. In the meantime there is also the sequel "Overwatch 2" as a Free2Play game on the Nintendo console. © Amazon / ActivisionBlizzard; Assembly: Ingame

9 / 25„Overwatch 2“ auf der Nintendo Switch – Ganz okay © Overwatch 2 - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica)

10 / 25"The Witcher 3" is the gold standard among the Nintendo Switch ports. Even if the game on the other consoles looks better, it is a lot of fun on the way. © Amazon / Bandai Namco Entertainment Germany; Assembly: Ingame

11 / 25„The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition“ auf der Nintendo Switch – Empfehlung © The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica)

12 / 25"Mortal Kombat 11" has a few difficulties on the Switch. The problem is not only in the graphic, but also in the small buttons that are not entirely optimal for a fighting game. Nevertheless, the game on the handheld console is impressive to look at, works and fun. Not the best version, but the best that was possible. You can do. © Amazon / Nintendo / WB Games; Assembly: Ingame

13 / 25"Mortal Kombat 11" at the Nintendo Switch - Recommendation © Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath - Official Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica)

14 / 25In 2007, "Crysis" PCs brought PCs to their limits and made the question "Can it Run Crysis?" to a legendary meme. Almost 13 years later, the Nintendo Switch answered this question with a clear "yes". Nevertheless, there was criticism for the release of "Crysis Remastered". The reason was the somewhat outdated gameplay of the first-person shooter and the fact that it was more of a port than a remaster. A little more than a year later, "Crytek" and "Saber Interactive" also submitted part 2 and 3 and quickly turned the game into the "Remastered Trilogy". Since then you have been getting a decent piece of shooter story at a reasonable price-technically a bit weaker than on the other consoles, but also on the go. © Amazon / Soltera; Assembly: Ingame

15 / 25„Crysis Remstered Trilogy“ auf der Nintendo Switch – Ganz okay © Crysis Remastered Trilogy - Official Launch Trailer | Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@Crysis)

16 / 25"Civilization 7" has had a few problems since his launch in February 2025. In addition to some bugs, the confusing interface was particularly important and the small screen of the Nintendo Switch somehow doesn't make it better. Although it is impressive that a big third party game launched on the Switch in 2025, the version cannot completely convince. Graphically, very clear differences are recognizable and it can become more jerky, especially in the late game. Here you should wait until the game is improved with updates and DLCs, because there are actually many good approaches. Maybe we'll even get a hooded Switch 2 version submitted. Until then, the predecessor "Civilization 6" is worthwhile on the switch. In the Nintendo Eshop, the round strategy classic is now extremely cheap. © Amazon / 2k; Assembly: Ingame

17 / 25„Civilization 7“ auf der Nintendo Switch – Ganz okay © Sid Meier‘s Civilization VII – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica)

18 / 25Even on the other consoles, "Dead by Daylight" is not a technical highlight, but on the Switch it is a real massacre of mushy textures. Together with a almost double-digit FPS number, there is a gaming experience that somehow works, but nothing more. © Amazon / Deep Silver; Assembly: Ingame

19 / 25"Dead by Daylight" on the Nintendo Switch - doesn't have to be © Dead by Daylight | Nintendo Switch Trailer (youtube.com/@deadbydaylightbhvr)

20 / 25A completely different caliber of horror game is "alien isolation". Surprisingly, the Sega game also looks great on the Nintendo Switch and can easily keep up with the other versions. If you are looking for a little scary mood for on the go, you should definitely take a look at this. "Alien Isolation" is one of the strongest switch ports ever and is unfortunately often overlooked. © Amazon / Limited Run; Assembly: Ingame

21 / 25"Alien Isolation" on Nintendo Switch - Recommendation © Alien: Isolation - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica)

22 / 25"Red Dead Redemption" is also fun on the Switch. Actually strange that we no longer got games from the Xbox 360 era. © Amazon / Nintendo / Rockstar Games; Assembly: Ingame

23 / 25„Red Dead Redemption“ auf der Nintendo Switch – Empfehlung © Red Dead Redemption - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica)

24 / 25When "Doom (2016)" appeared on the Nintendo Switch, a murmur went through the game landscape. Developer "ID Software" and "Panic Button" showed what is possible with the Nintendo console. Subsequently, various “Wolfenstein” games and “Doom Eternal” also found their way to the hybrid console. To date, these are pretty much the best shooter experiences you can have on the go. © Amazon / Limited Run; Assembly: Ingame

25 / 25"Doom Eternal" at the Nintendo Switch - Recommendation © Doom Eternal - Release Date Trailer - Nintendo Switch (youtube.com/@nintendoamerica)

If you don't plan, you2 to get to the launch, you definitely have a decent backlog of switch games with this list. "Alien Isolation" and "No Man's Sky" really surprised me on the hybrid console, but classics such as "Red Dead Redemption" can still convince.

It is actually nothing new that big AAA games on poor performance-Handhelds are implemented. For example, the Gameboy Advance is known for its curious ports. On the unlit, pixelated display you could play "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2", "Crazy Taxi" or "Max Payne". However, the versions often had little to do with the original.

With the Nintendo Switch, the idea of ​​the AAA games for the go was so popular that entire studios built their business model on it. The probably best known is "Panic Button", which I briefly mentioned at "Doom Eternal". In addition, the company took care of switch changes to games such as "Rocket League", "Subnautica" and "Apex Legends". It was also responsible for the PS5 port of "Forza Horizon 5" and worked on the fourth part of the racing game series. Rumors about a forza on the Switch 2 seem realistic. If you missed the first trailer for the console, you can find here.

By the way, I left out of cloud -based games on my list. Since you could theoretically stream every game, that would be a little cheated. For the sake of completeness, however, it should be mentioned that there was more at the Nintendo Switch Cloud versions about "Control", "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard", "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey". I hope that there will also be a good amount of native ports for the Switch 2 and that we do not have to rely on a stable internet connection.

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