SnowRunner Switch 2 Delivers a Major Visual Upgrade – Side-by-Side Comparison
This morning’s Nintendo Direct was packed with surprises, but one announcement buried among the rapid-fire reveals caught my attention more than most: SnowRunner is coming to Nintendo Switch 2. Now it’s here, and while I work on my full review, I wanted to take an early look at how the new version compares to the original Switch version. To do that, I’ve gone back to some of the opening moments of the game and captured them side by side on both systems. So, put the gearbox into low range and hit the unbeaten track as we take a closer look at what’s changed between SnowRunner on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Resolution Comparison
The first thing you’ll notice is the resolution. In docked mode, SnowRunner on Switch 2 now runs at 1440p, delivering a significantly sharper image than its predecessor. The original Switch version uses dynamic resolution scaling to maintain its locked 30fps target. As a result, you can often see image quality fluctuate in real time, particularly when driving through water, navigating dense forests, or entering areas with a lot of environmental detail. While this approach helps maintain stable performance, it can leave the image looking noticeably blurred at times. The Switch 2 version takes a different approach. Rather than reducing resolution, it appears to maintain a consistently sharp image while using a variable framerate with a 30fps floor. This means performance can exceed 30fps when conditions allow, resulting in smoother gameplay without sacrificing image quality. I’ll dive deeper into framerate performance later in the article, but the resolution difference alone is night and day.
That said, this comparison isn’t here to beat up on the original Switch release. As these screenshots demonstrate, SnowRunner on Switch was already a technical marvel, delivering impressive visuals and performance on far less powerful hardware. The Switch 2 version simply builds on that foundation with the benefit of considerably more horsepower.
Environmental Detail and Texture Quality
Another improvement you’ll notice almost immediately is the increase in environmental detail. The Switch 2 version features denser foliage, sharper vegetation, and richer-looking environments overall. Much of this comes down to texture quality and asset detail. Tyre tracks are more clearly defined, leaves on trees appear sharper, and grass is rendered with individual blades rather than appearing as flat clumps. Combined, these improvements create a much clearer image and make the world feel far more natural and believable.
Texture quality has also received a noticeable boost. Wooden planks, road signs, and building details all appear sharper, making environmental assets easier to appreciate. While none of these changes dramatically alter the gameplay experience, they combine to create a substantial visual upgrade. One feature that Focus Entertainment has been particularly keen to highlight is the addition of working mirrors. It might sound like a small detail on paper, but seeing your surroundings reflected in real time adds another layer of authenticity to the driving experience. It’s a subtle upgrade, yet one that contributes nicely to the overall presentation.
Asset pop-in has also seen noticeable improvements. The original Switch version often had environmental objects and foliage appear suddenly as you approached them, while level-of-detail transitions could be quite obvious in the distance. The Switch 2 version isn’t completely free of pop-in, particularly when looking across large open areas, but both object pop-in and level-of-detail transitions are significantly less distracting. Trees, rocks, and other environmental assets remain visible for longer, helping create a more cohesive world and reducing those moments where the illusion is broken by scenery suddenly changing in front of you.
Lighting and Shadows
Lighting is another area that has received a noticeable upgrade on Switch 2. The most obvious improvement is the addition of enhanced bloom effects, which give sunlight a warmer and more natural appearance. Combined with improved shadow quality and resolution, environments feel more dynamic and realistic than before. The Alaska footage highlights these improvements particularly well. Sunlight now filters through trees with a subtle glow, while dust kicked up by vehicles catches the light in a much more realistic way giving the game world a greater sense of atmosphere and depth throughout the environment.
The improved lighting also has practical benefits. Water, ice, and other surface conditions are easier to identify at a glance, helping players better read the terrain ahead. In a game where route planning and vehicle control are critical, being able to spot hazards more clearly can be just as valuable as the visual upgrade itself. That said, these improvements also serve as a reminder of how impressive the original Switch version was. SnowRunner already delivered convincing weather effects and environmental lighting on far more limited hardware.
Framerate Comparison
Returning to the dense forests of Alaska, we can see the different approaches each version takes to performance. As mentioned earlier, the original Switch version relies on dynamic resolution scaling to maintain a rock-solid 30fps target. When scenes become more demanding, image quality is reduced to keep performance consistent. The Switch 2 version appears to take the opposite approach. Rather than aggressively reducing image quality, it maintains a much sharper presentation while allowing the framerate to fluctuate above its 30fps floor when additional performance is available.
What’s interesting is that the actual framerate difference between the two versions isn’t enormous. The original Switch version already did an admirable job of holding its 30fps target, and the Switch 2 version isn’t suddenly running at 60fps. Instead, the improvements come from a combination of cleaner image quality and those moments where the framerate can rise above 30fps, resulting in an experience that feels noticeably smoother in motion. I’m only a few hours into the Switch 2 version, but so far I haven’t encountered any noticeable drops below that 30fps floor. Combined with the sharper image quality, the result is a version of SnowRunner that feels more refined and responsive, even if the raw performance numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Overall
This is a fantastic effort from Focus Entertainment. Rather than simply bringing SnowRunner across to Nintendo’s new hardware, the team has taken the opportunity to improve nearly every aspect of the presentation. Resolution is dramatically sharper, environmental detail has been increased, lighting and shadows are more realistic, and the revised performance profile results in a smoother overall experience. Just as importantly, these improvements build upon what was already one of the most technically impressive ports on the original Nintendo Switch.
The best part is that existing digital owners can upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition at no additional cost, making this an easy recommendation for anyone looking to revisit the game on Nintendo’s latest hardware. Crossplay support is also expected to arrive in the coming weeks, further strengthening the package and bringing the Nintendo version closer in line with its counterparts on other platforms. I’ve still got plenty more mud, snow, and rivers to conquer before delivering my full verdict, so stay tuned for our complete SnowRunner Switch 2 review coming soon.
Enjoyed our SnowRunner Switch 2 Side-by-Side Comparison?
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