We’ve long known that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were on the list to receive a Switch 2 performance upgrade. Now, players have their first look at how these games play on the new console, via Nintendo Today, the Switch 2 news app.
There’s no way to embed the video in this article — Switch 2 footage is locked down on Nintendo Today — but the Wario64 Bluesky account shared a 33-second-long recording of the footage that you can view here.
The showcase confirms that Scarlet and Violet will run at 4K at 60 frames per second on the Switch 2, at least while it’s docked. This is a refreshing upgrade to the generation nine Pokemon games, which are among some of the best Pokemon games of all time but are hampered by a slew of performance issues.
Nintendo included shots of key in-game locations, such as Pokemon Academy in Mesagoza and Casseroya Lake. With the original Switch hardware, the frame rate would frequently tank anywhere between 20 and 30fps when exploring these areas. The Switch 2 footage shows the game maintaining a smooth 60fps with no visual stutters no matter where the player is exploring.
The art style for the game remains largely unchanged, with wild Pokemon plodding around mostly flat textures on the overworld. But when it comes to Scarlet and Violet’s performance issues, the Switch 2 seems to be making a big leap in the right direction.
The Switch 2 officially launches on Thursday, so you won’t have to wait very long to explore a more optimized version of the Paldea region. If an upgraded version of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet can’t satisfy your pocket-monster collecting urges, Pokemon Legends: Z-A launches for the Switch and the Switch 2 on Oct. 16.
