"Resident Evil" remakes on the Switch 2: Will the horror games be just as impressive on the go?
Capcom is unleashing three 'Resident Evil' remakes on the Switch 2. Find out here whether the ports of these iconic games are successful, or if you're better off choosing a different version.
Note: This is not a classic review with a star rating. This article merely examines the quality of the Switch 2 versions of these games.
With the release of «Resident Evil 2» in 2019, Capcom launched a legendary remake trilogy. The studio reinterpreted the PS1 survival horror classic, giving the game a third-person perspective, revising puzzles, and staging it cinematically. The remake of «Resident Evil 3» (2020) was also a success – even if many fans regretted that Capcom removed too much content from the original game without replacement. With «Resident Evil 4» in 2023, the studio delivered the preliminary peak of their remake efforts. The action-horror title is considered the best version of Leon's adventure in the Spanish hinterland.
Now, Capcom is bringing the horror classics to the Switch 2. Here you will find out how the titles play on the go, how they perform on the handheld hardware, and whether a renewed excursion into the nightmarish world of zombies is worth it.
Portability: Are the «Resident Evil» remakes suitable as handheld titles?
The Switch 2 allows you to play the games on the go as well. In this section, I evaluate how well they are suited for handheld mode.
How much battery do the games consume?
To test how heavily the three remakes strain the Switch 2 battery, I play each title for half an hour in handheld mode. I start with a fully charged console (100 percent). Brightness and volume are set to the maximum. Nintendo specifies a battery life between 2 and 6.5 hours for the Switch 2. This value serves as the basis for the evaluation.
«Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3» consume around 22 percent of the battery in 30 minutes. «Resident Evil 4» reaches about 23 percent in my measurement. This puts all three games at the lower end of the official Nintendo scale – extrapolated, you get about 2 hours and 10 minutes of playtime. So, for longer train rides, it's better to take a charger and/or an external battery with you.
Are the games suitable for short sessions?
All three remakes are excellent as game snacks in between. I can easily play for just a few minutes and put the Switch 2 away again.
Admittedly: Occasionally, the numerous puzzles cause me problems. If I play in small bursts, I often forget, especially in «Resident Evil 2», what I did in my last session and where I need to go next.
Gaming comfort on the go
All remakes are only conditionally suitable for extensive sessions on the go. This is partly due to the fiddly controls. It can be very frustrating to aim with the mini analog stick of the Switch 2 – yet headshots would be vital for survival in a survival horror game with limited ammunition.
My tip: Activate motion-controlled aiming in «Resident Evil 4». This way, you can readjust with small movements of the console and hit zombie heads more precisely. «Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3» do not offer motion control. Here, it is advisable to tweak the aiming speed in the camera settings. With a less sensitive analog stick, aiming works much better – especially because the zombies also move relatively leisurely.
Besides aiming, the brightness of the game is also a major obstacle to enjoying the games portably. Especially in «Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3», I spend a lot of time in dark corridors. With the low-luminosity display of the Switch 2, it is difficult for me to see what is going on while on the train. And playing outside is completely out of the question – the only thing I see is my frustrated face reflected in the dark Switch 2 screen.
These compromises you have to make
A multi-platform game on the Switch 2 comes with certain limitations. No wonder – Nintendo's handheld is tiny compared to stationary consoles. In this section, you will learn how much this affects the gaming experience.
Graphics and image quality
With all three games, you have to accept some compromises in visual presentation compared to the "big" current-gen consoles. The games run at a noticeably lower resolution, offer stripped-down lighting, worse reflections, and less detailed character models. Nevertheless, the horror classics look eerily beautiful on the Switch 2 overall. None of the titles offer settings for visual quality (for example, performance or fidelity modes) in the options.
Only one thing bothers me. Hair and other fine details in the game environment are accompanied by unsightly upscaling artifacts and unpleasant flickering. Depending on the game situation, the image quality suffers significantly from these limitations.
«Resident Evil 4» performs the worst. No wonder, after all, Leon's excursion into the Spanish hinterland is the most technically demanding remake title. In motion, the game often runs unstably and looks restless with flickering effects and image noise. Numerous blurry textures also suggest that the PS4 version, not the PS5 version, was used as the basis for the port.
I am positively surprised by the visual quality in handheld mode. Apart from a lower resolution, I notice no differences compared to TV mode. Here, too, «Resident Evil 4» stands out the most, leaving a significantly blurrier handheld impression compared to «Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3», especially in more hectic scenes.
Performance
The good news first: All three titles run at up to 60 frames per second. The bad news: The emphasis is on "up to".
«Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3» perform the best. Only rarely do I notice major framerate drops; I don't notice any differences between TV and handheld mode. The majority of my adventure runs pleasantly smoothly. Unfortunately, Capcom has not fixed one of the most noticeable graphic flaws of the remakes for the Switch 2. Enemies that are a bit further away move at half the framerate. This looks unsightly and repeatedly pulls me out of the otherwise successful horror atmosphere.
«Resident Evil 4» makes the Switch 2 sweat more with larger game areas and more enemies on the screen. While I run through the Spanish hinterland with Leon, the game regularly stutters. I only reach 60 FPS in small rooms without NPCs. The enemies animated at half the framerate are also most noticeable in «Resident Evil 4».
These advantages are offered by the Switch 2 version
Nintendo versions of multi-platform titles do not only bring disadvantages. Many games use special features of the hardware or even offer exclusive content. In this section, you will find out if this is also the case with the «Resident Evil» remakes.
Which contents are (not) included?
The Switch 2 version of «Resident Evil 2» is the "Deluxe Edition" with additional costumes for Leon and Claire, three bonus weapons, and the original soundtrack.
For «Resident Evil 3», there is no Deluxe variant – instead, Capcom treats the Switch 2 version to a classic costume for Jill as well as an alternative hairstyle for the second playable character, Carlos. The multiplayer mode «Resident Evil Resistance» is not included. Not a big loss.
«Resident Evil 4» offers the most additional content with the "Gold Version". You get the additional campaign «Separate Ways», the additional mode «The Mercenaries», costumes, bonus weapons, the original soundtrack, as well as practical items like a treasure map.
New, Switch 2-exclusive content is not included in any of the games.
Which Switch 2 functions do the games use?
«Resident Evil 4» supports the motion sensors of the Switch 2 controllers when aiming. «Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3», however, do not. Why, Capcom?
Mouse control is not supported by any title. Particularly disappointing: The potential of the excellent HD Rumble function of the Switch 2 controllers is not even remotely exhausted. The vibrations feel uninspired and flat. The PS5 controller rumbles significantly better – and offers even more cool functions when shooting with adaptive triggers.
Price comparison with other platforms
(As of October 15 – short-term deals/sales excluded)
«Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition»
- Switch 2: around 40 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Playstation: around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Xbox: around 60 Swiss Francs or Euros
- PC (Steam): around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
«Resident Evil 3»
- Switch 2: around 30 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Playstation: around 40 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Xbox: around 40 Swiss Francs or Euros
- PC (Steam): around 40 Swiss Francs or Euros
«Resident Evil 4: Gold Edition»
- Switch 2: around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Playstation: around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
- Xbox: around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
- PC (Steam): around 50 Swiss Francs or Euros
Conclusion: Successful ports of varying quality
If you haven't played any of the three horror classics yet, you can safely grab all the remakes for the Switch 2. Especially «Resident Evil 2» and «Resident Evil 3» are successful and well-optimized ports that make an excellent figure in both handheld and TV mode. With «Resident Evil 4», you have to expect significant visual compromises (flickering, low resolution, muddy textures) and performance problems – in both modes. The port is reminiscent of the technically limited PS4 version of the game.
If you intend to play the games primarily on the go, the low brightness of the Switch 2 display might thwart your plans. In the dark corridors of the survival horror games, you will hardly recognize anything in daylight. Also, aiming with the much too small analog stick can be annoying in the long run.
In terms of content, you get the maximum for the lowest price with all three ports (compared to other platforms). It's a pity that Capcom doesn't offer a multipack where you get all three games at once.
«Resident Evil 2: Deluxe Edition», «Resident Evil 3» and «Resident Evil 4: Gold Edition» are available for the Switch 2 from October 16. Capcom provided me with the games for testing purposes. The screenshots in the article are from TV mode, unless otherwise stated.
My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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