FromSoftware’s decision to delay the release of Elden Ring Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 to August 28th might have paid off for the studio. Videos are now popping up showcasing the open-world Soulslike running on Nintendo’s current-generation console, and compared to the last time we saw it running, there have been some major improvements made.
As you can check out in the two videos below (courtesy of Famitsu and Denfaminico), both handheld mode and docked mode were showcased. While the console wasn’t able to go all the way up to a steady frame rate of 60 FPS in either mode, the title was still running quite smoothly at 30 FPS. However, handheld mode still carries some caveats; some frame drops can be seen whenever the player takes on enemies with more going on, like large creatures or boss fights.
Generally, however, the moment-to-moment gameplay has seemingly benefited quite a bit from FromSoftware’s focus on refining the port. The fact that the title is still ten days away could also indicate that the studio has a day-one patch planned that will smooth out some of these issues.
Previews of Elden Ring Tarnished Edition running on the Nintendo Switch 2 had first popped up back in March during GDC 2026. At the time, attending publications had noted that the game’s performance was already vastly improved when compared to what we had seen last year.
The Nintendo Switch 2 release was originally announced all the way back in April 2025, and while details weren’t quite revealed at the time, some reports started coming out in the following months indicating poor performance. One such report gave the impression that, despite a frame rate cap of 30 FPS, the Tarnished Edition version of the game often dipped down to 20, and sometimes even 15 FPS. Comparisons were made to the frame rate of Nintendo 64 title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is known for running at 20 FPS.
Elden Ring was originally announced back in 2022 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The title is the second-latest single-player outing by the studio, and saw immensely positive critical reception. It even went on to become many publications’ game of the year at the time. In 2024, FromSoftware released the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which further expanded on the title’s story by giving us a glimpse at its past and two of its major characters.
The core story of Elden Ring is told quite loosely, largely through strange conversations, item descriptions, and environmental storytelling. It puts players in the shoes of the Tarnished One who has been Marked by Grace, and has been tasked by a strange woman with acquiring the Great Runes to reforge the eponymous Elden Ring.
Throughout your time with the game, you slowly learn about the machinations of the Greater Will, the various factions all vying for power over the Empty Throne, the ultimate fate of the previous rulers of the land, and the reason why everyone seems to be stuck in a never-ending war.
