Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, the upcoming release of FromSoftware’s celebrated action RPG for Nintendo Switch 2, is already drawing scrutiny after Digital Foundry shared concerns regarding its performance. The technical analysts, known for their in-depth hardware and software coverage, addressed the matter during a recent podcast, where they suggested the current state of the port leaves much to be desired.
John Linneman, who managed to observe the game during a showcase, described the experience as deeply unsatisfactory. “My impressions are indeed from what I saw that it’s basically unacceptable. I would not ship a product like this right now. This runs like a poor performing PS3 game,” he remarked. His account raised alarm among fans hoping for a smooth experience on Nintendo’s new console.
Supporters of the show also submitted questions, voicing their frustrations. One fan referred to the Switch 2 port as a “tarnished broken port,” questioning why it performed so poorly when the Steam Deck version of Elden Ring runs considerably better. Another supporter wondered whether Nintendo had erred in limiting early developer access to Switch 2 dev kits, potentially hindering optimization efforts for the launch window lineup.
John offered further context on the situation. He pointed out that while Elden Ring has been optimized on PC platforms such as the Steam Deck, the Switch 2 version marks the first attempt to bring FromSoftware’s engine to an ARM-based system. “It is a heavy game, undeservedly so in many ways, and their engine notoriously exhibits issues across a wide range of hardware,” he explained. He noted that CPU limitations appear to be a major factor, with the Switch 2 seemingly more restricted in this regard compared to Valve’s handheld system.
Despite the bleak first impressions, Digital Foundry acknowledged that the game is still in development, leaving open the possibility of improvements before release. However, performance during the demo was reportedly poor enough to obscure analysis of whether frame pacing issues had been addressed. According to Linneman, “It was literally just running often below 30. They were running around the Limgrave area when I was peeking and it was not good.”
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition was officially announced during Nintendo’s April 2025 Direct showcase and is planned to release later this year. Although the Switch 2 version promises to deliver the full experience of the critically acclaimed RPG, it remains unclear whether developers will be able to meet performance expectations by launch. For now, fans eager to revisit the Lands Between on Nintendo’s hardware may have reason to be cautious.
