Performance… Performance never changes. The wasteland awaits once again in Fallout 4 on the Switch 2, and this time it arrives with a surprisingly polished set of graphics and performance modes to choose from. After Bethesda Game Studios refined The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Nintendo’s new hardware following a somewhat rocky launch, I was eager to see how Fallout 4 would hold up. Now that the Switch 2 edition has officially left the vault, it is time to put a few points into Perception and find out whether this is simply a competent port or something far more impressive. With five distinct graphics configurations available across docked and handheld play, the choice sounds generous on paper. The real question is how those options translate in the wasteland.
As Fallout 4 offers five different graphics configurations in total, three in handheld and two in docked, this has been one of the more complex comparisons I have put together. I learned quite a bit while testing it, and I hope you find the breakdown helpful. As always, feel free to leave feedback, whether it is good, bad, or somewhere in between. It all helps refine future coverage.
The first round of testing focused on handheld mode using the Switch 2’s built-in capture.
Handheld players have three options to choose from. There is a 30fps quality mode with higher visual fidelity, a 40fps balanced mode, and a 60fps performance mode.
To begin, I recorded identical footage leaving Sanctuary via the bridge. The differences are immediately noticeable on the Switch 2 display. The 30fps mode runs at the highest resolution, delivering sharper textures and cleaner image quality overall. The 40fps mode lowers the resolution slightly, producing a softer image with a touch of blur, though texture quality remains largely intact. The 60fps mode runs smoothly, but it does so with a more aggressive reduction in overall resolution and texture clarity, alongside a more obvious level of detail pop-in.
Looking closer at the water tower provides a clear example. The writing on the tower is crisp and readable in 30fps mode. At 40fps it softens, though remains legible. At 60 fps, it becomes noticeably blurrier, to the point where fine detail is difficult to make out. Grass and ground clutter follow the same pattern, appearing fuller and more defined at 30fps, slightly reduced at 40fps, and pared back further in 60fps mode. This visual trade-off becomes a consistent theme throughout handheld testing.
A three-way split screen is not the ideal way to showcase these differences, so moving into Concord allows each mode to breathe individually. Once again, 60fps shows a clear resolution reduction to maintain performance. Compression may soften the effect slightly, but the internal resolution drop is comparable to titles such as Dying Light and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game on the original Switch.
The 40fps mode restores some sharpness, with clock faces and building textures appearing more defined, while still delivering a smoother feel than 30fps. The 30fps mode once again presents the cleanest image, with sharper detail and a much more gentle asset pop-in while moving.
Finally, here’s a brief walkthrough of Diamond City with a crowd of NPCs, highlighting how each mode handles density. The resolution differences remain consistent, and the frame pacing across all three modes appears stable.
Overall, I genuinely appreciate the level of choice on offer in handheld mode. Giving players three distinct frame rate targets is not something we always see, and it deserves credit. That said, for portable play, I believe 30fps is currently the best way to experience Fallout 4 on the Switch 2. It delivers the sharpest image, stronger texture clarity, and a more cohesive presentation overall. Frame pacing feels consistent, and the world retains its atmosphere without the distraction of aggressive resolution scaling or noticeable asset pop-in. The 40fps and 60fps modes absolutely have their appeal, particularly if smoother camera movement is your priority. However, in handheld, both sacrifice a little too much resolution for my personal taste. The softer image and reduced detail are more noticeable on the smaller screen than you might expect.
That may not be the end of the story, though. Bethesda Game Studios has confirmed that DLSS support and further improvements are arriving in a future update. Considering how significantly The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim improved post-launch on this hardware, and how solid Fallout 4 already feels at release, there is a strong sense that this version could evolve even further, and I’m all for it.
Moving over to docked play, it makes sense to start with the frame counters and see how both 30fps and 60fps modes behave in real time. Docked only offers these two options, so the comparison is more straightforward on paper. (EDIT: 40 fps mode does exist in docked mode for gamers with a 120hz display, I apologise for this oversight.)
Jumping into Power Armour and taking a walk through Concord provides an immediate stress test. Frame rates are impressively solid in both modes. Across my testing period, performance has been stable overall. I did encounter a brief stutter, interestingly in 60fps mode, though it was momentary and has been rare so far.
Switching to a more scenic vantage point, resolution is not a major concern in docked 60fps mode. The image holds up well on a larger display, and the drop seen in handheld is far less aggressive here. However, once we remove the split screen and flick between 30fps and 60fps, the compromises become clearer. In 60fps mode, ground clutter density is reduced slightly to maintain performance. It is not drastic, but when toggling back to 30fps, the more detailed scene composition becomes noticeable.
The level of detail pop-in is also adjusted. As we cross the bridge toward central Boston, some asset pop-in becomes more apparent in 60fps mode. The gates to Diamond City provide a good example. In 60fps, they render more abruptly at a distance, while in 30fps the transition feels smoother and more gradual. Up close, the difference narrows, but at range, the 30fps mode presents a gentler level of detail load in.
Heading into the Fens, I encountered a small stutter in 60fps mode. This remains the only noticeable frame rate hiccup within my first twenty hours of testing. That is not to say the game will remain flawless throughout. Areas such as Far Harbour may prove more demanding, but I am not far enough into that content to draw a firm conclusion just yet. Full review coverage is coming soon.
No matter which option you prefer, this is a fantastic time to leave the vault and explore. Credit where it is due, Bethesda Game Studios has delivered a very solid version of a modern classic. The price point may sting worse than a Bloatfly for some players, but that is a discussion for the full review. I genuinely enjoyed putting this graphics comparison together, and I hope you found it helpful. The more I learn, the better these breakdowns will become, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to watch and support the channel.
Ad Victoriam.
