The Switch 2 might pack much better hardware than the original, but a game I’m still surprised to see running at all (much less pretty well) on a Nintendo system is Cyberpunk 2077. I spent a few days with CD Projekt Red’s latest port to get a feel for how it runs, how it holds up, and how the Switch 2’s fancy new mouse controls work when applied to a high-octane FPS. The answer across the board is impressive, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of exploring Night City before, this seems like a solid way to do so.
But first, let’s look back at what I said in my review of Cyberpunk 2077 when it first launched in 2020.
Of course, that was just for the PC version, and the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions were such a notorious mess that we had to go back and do a separate review with a much lower score once we got our hands on it at launch. (And don’t forget we also reviewed its excellent Phantom Liberty DLC in 2023, which is included in the Switch 2 version.) Thankfully, the Switch 2 port is nowhere near the disaster it was on the old console generation – in fact, it’s pretty dang great.
Cyberpunk 2077 looks pretty great on Nintendo Switch 2
All it takes is a quick glance to see that Cyberpunk 2077 still looks very good on Nintendo’s new console. The distinct neon glows and dirty streets of Night City all come through alive and well here, even if they aren’t quite as crisp and clean as you’d find on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X. This isn’t exactly the “definitive” way to play this game, but it’s more than good enough from a practical standpoint. This isn’t like the Switch 1 port of The Witcher 3, which felt like an “I guess we can make this function” sort of last resort way to play more than anything else.
The framerate is decent but not jaw-dropping
You can check out the technical specs in our story about how CD Projekt managed to get Cyberpunk 2077 running on the Switch 2 – in short, it’s running at 1080p when docked, and 1080p or 720p in handheld, depending on if you’re playing in Quality or Performance mode, and it maxes out at 40fps. Your mileage may vary here, because despite my PC gaming background, I am not a huge performance snob and I have no issue playing at less than 60fps. So to my eye, Cyberpunk 2077 runs fairly well in docked mode, even if far from perfect. It has some dropped frames in parts and doesn’t run as buttery smooth as the Switch 2 Editions of Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild, but nothing is so distracting that it actively harmed my time with it in this context. If you can’t stand anything below a solid 60fps, this might be one you need to skip – anyone who is used to playing games entirely on the original Switch, however, should be comfortable enough here.
Switch 2 mouse controls work surprisingly well
One of the biggest draws of the Switch 2 for me was its ability to mimic mouse control with a sideways Joy-Con, potentially giving you greater accuracy in a first-person game like this. I am happy to say that’s exactly the case, as it was super easy for me to jump from my PC to this control option and get far more headshots than I would have with a regular gamepad. It’s not at the same level as a high-DPS gaming mouse or anything, but it’s absolutely my preferred way to play this game whenever I sat down to do so, and that’s a huge win. That said…
The Joy-Con mouse isn’t great for long sessions
You see, the problem with the Switch 2’s mouse mode isn’t actually the quality of the mouse control itself, but the physical feel of using it. The Joy-Con is tiny compared to a normal mouse, and my hand was cramping up trying to get a good grip on it after long play sessions – even when I used a 3D-printed shell to make it feel better. That’s because there’s nowhere to comfortably put your thumb while still being able to press the right stick, Y button, and A button, all of which are required for various actions as you jump between combat, conversations, and menu management. So while the mouse is better than I expected, I’m worried this awkward grip is going to stop me from consistently using it in the future.
Cyberpunk 2077’s motion assist options aren’t great
That said, the mouse controls are at least better than using motions to shortcut certain actions. The usual method of aiming with the right stick primarily and then fine-tuning that aim with motion controls is available and works just as well here as it does in stuff like Zelda, but the motion assist options are pretty useless beyond that. You can swing your Joy-Con to use your melee weapon in a way that gave me unflattering flashbacks to early Wii games, or twist and flail it to do actions like reload or heal, but doing so almost always made my camera wobble about at the same time. It may hurt my hand, but I’ll take mouse controls over this any day.
This is still an awesome RPG worth playing
Finally, revisiting Night City reminded me just how great this game is, especially after all the improvements after launch. The world is moody and dangerous, and it does a great job of dropping you in and immediately making you feel like a part of the culture. I also maintain it stages its quest conversations better than any RPG I’ve ever seen, giving simple chats a cinematic quality without ever taking you out of the driver seat. If you’ve never played Cyberpunk 2077, I can absolutely recommend you check it out here.
I am still working on my final Switch 2 review, but you can check out our reviews of Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour in the meantime. And if you want insight on other ports, we’ve got a look at Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild, and Hogwarts Legacy.
