Overwatch on Switch 2 vs Switch 1 – Graphics and Performance Analysis
While Overwatch dropped the “2” from its title last season, this season it’s added a new twist, with the Switch 2 now listed as an available platform. This nerd has been awake since 2am Australian time, capturing footage and putting this comparison together to show how the Switch 2 version stacks up against the original Switch release. And… it’s safe to say it’s been a rocky debut on Switch 2. It’s not all bad, though, so let’s take a look.
Disclaimer:
Right before publishing this video, Blizzard has acknowledged performance issues on Switch 2 via the Battle.net support forums, stating that the game is not currently running as intended and that a patch is in development to address it. Once that update goes live, I’ll revisit the game and update this video if anything meaningfully changes.
It’s also worth noting that there isn’t a traditional “upgrade” path for Switch 2. Instead, you need to download the Switch 2 version separately from the eShop, which effectively replaces the Switch 1 version on your system. It’s not a seamless upgrade, so if you’re jumping between consoles, you’ll need to make sure you’re downloading the correct version.
Character Models
Let’s take a closer look at some character models to see what’s changed in terms of graphical detail.
Starting with Mercy, it’s immediately clear that the frame rate holds much better than on the Switch 1 version. We’ll dive deeper into performance shortly, but the improvement is noticeable even here. There’s an overall enhancement to lighting and textures, and that lighting goes a long way in highlighting the gilding of Mercy’s wings. Thanks to the increased sharpness, shadow detail appears smoother. However, there doesn’t seem to be a significant increase in additional geometry on the model itself.
Switching to D.Va, animation once again feels noticeably smoother due to the improved frame rate. Texture sharpness enhances the detail of her mech’s graffiti, while the refined lighting further accentuates its design.
Let’s look at a few more quick side-by-side comparisons. Some of these don’t show a clear improvement beyond resolution. There were suggestions that Blizzard was live-updating skins, as a few initially appeared identical to the Switch 1 versions. I did receive a notification at the time. After revisiting the Overwatch Switch 2 version, that notification has disappeared. Even so, I still can’t see significant differences with some of the models.
It’s unclear whether the visuals will improve further from here. That said, the game doesn’t look bad. It just appears slightly flat in places. Blizzard has indicated that the current fixes are focused on frame rate and overall performance, which aligns with what we’re seeing so far.
Side by Side Framerate Comparison
Let’s start with a side-by-side comparison of the Rio de Janeiro mission to showcase how it performs on Switch 2 compared to Switch 1.
The opening section, once the doors to the city open, appears to run almost identically on both versions. If anything, I would argue animations look slightly smoother on Switch 2, but the difference is minimal.
Once the record store is destroyed, there’s a small hiccup in frame times, but overall, there isn’t a major difference between the two versions.
Now, this is the kind of issue Blizzard will likely be targeting in their urgent update. They confirmed in a recent statement that the game is intended to hit a 60 FPS target, and with this being a major launch on a new platform from a large publisher, I wouldn’t expect players to be waiting two weeks for certification. I’d say a patch could realistically land today or tomorrow.
Again, we can see some frame pacing issues when the action gets heavier on Switch 1, but nothing too extreme.
Let’s jump over to Switch 2 and play a full match.
Switch 2 Online Performance
Switching to an online match and playing support, there is a noticeable difference in graphics, with sharper textures and an improved lighting system. The frame rate, however, still appears locked to 30 here.
When the action gets heavy, I found the Switch 2 version holds up better. Things don’t stutter or falter in the same way they do on Switch 1, and we’re already looking at a much more playable version of the game overall.
I personally feel like the lighting goes a long way in making the visuals stand out, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in the overall visual fidelity, even with the frame rate lock aside.
It’s important to stress once again that Blizzard are working on it. I don’t know if this build was pushed out to coincide with the Season launch while an update was already in the pipeline, or if this was simply an unexpected issue at release. Either way, I’m confident we’ll see a marked improvement soon, but I do hope there’s also a bit more graphical polish alongside unlocking those frames.
Stay tuned for an update on the graphics, a full review coming soon, as well as a breakdown of how Seasons 1 and 2 have changed the game for Overwatch.
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