The Switch 2 port of Star Wars Outlaws is reportedly struggling with performance issues, to the extent that media were barred from recording gameplay during a recent showcase. The implication of the Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 edition being in such a bad shape raises concerns about the condition in which it will launch in just a few days.
The Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws was officially announced in early April 2025, roughly two months before Nintendo's latest console hit the store shelves. Several weeks later, Ubisoft committed to launching the game on September 4.
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Star Wars Outlaws Nintendo Switch 2 Port Fails To Impress at PAX West
As Star Wars Outlaws' release date approaches, the game is said to be in bad shape. That's according to a new report by GVG, stating that media weren't allowed to record gameplay footage while trying the game during the ongoing PAX West 2025, where it is featured at the Nintendo booth. It was reportedly the only upcoming title at the booth with such a restriction. While no official explanation was provided, GVG noted the game ran poorly and speculated this was the reason for the recording ban.
Star Wars Outlaws Reportedly Drops Below 30fps During Linear Sections
Going into the specifics of this "rough" performance, GVG found the game to have frequent drops below 30 frames per second. Making matters even more concerning, the PAX West demo featured a linear section of the game on the Imperial Star Destroyer that takes place early on in Star Wars Outlaws. Given the performance issues in such a contained environment, GVG raised doubts about how the final game, which has plenty of large, open-world areas, will run. The demo also included a space battle at the end, which didn't receive any performance-related complaints, though it was labeled as not "very remarkable" in terms of visuals.
GVG noted that the limited ray tracing implementation occasionally looked nice, praising how it affected the appearance of the Stormtrooper armor. Overall, however, it was described as not particularly impressive, with character lighting—and especially hair—criticized as looking flat. The YouTube channel's all-around impressions weren't positive, raising concerns about the state in which the port will be released. Although Star Wars Outlaws launched with some problematic bugs and had a tendency to crash in certain areas like Tatooine (mostly just on PC) before receiving several critical patches, its overall performance on non-Nintendo platforms wasn't viewed as particularly problematic.
While it's possible—and even likely—that the PAX West demo was using an older build of Star Wars Outlaws rather than the one that will launch on September 4, it's uncertain whether the differences between the two will be significant. The newly emerged performance complaints align with what little was shown of the port to date, with the gameplay footage featured on the Star Wars Outlaws Nintendo eShop page looking rather rough and choppy.
Star Wars Outlaws
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
- Released
- August 30, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Snowdrop
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure
