Star Wars Outlaws is easily one of the best-looking games on the Nintendo Switch 2. It goes beyond what Ubisoft achieved with Assassin’s Creed Shadows and stands out as a strong visual showcase, especially when you consider that the Switch 2 is a hybrid system whose hardware is well below current-generation consoles. It is also among the most impressive-looking games available on a portable system right now, alongside titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade, which is set to arrive next year.
Ubisoft has put in serious optimization work to make Star Wars Outlaws run as well as it does on the Switch 2. Visual compromises are more noticeable when playing on a 4K screen in docked mode, but the experience is much better in handheld mode. Docked play can highlight where corners were cut to get the game running, yet even with those limitations, it remains a solid port that performs reliably in both handheld and docked modes on the Switch 2.
I will not go into detail about Star Wars Outlaws here. For a deeper breakdown, you can read our detailed review that covers the game’s various aspects. The game is a spin-off set in the Star Wars universe and introduces a new original character, Kay Vess. The story takes place around the era of The Empire Strikes Back, between Episodes 4 and 5. Kay is a thief who sets her sights on pulling off the ultimate heist. Along the way, she is joined by her loyal and endearing companion, Nix, and works to put together a ragtag crew to help make it happen. The story digs into Star Wars lore and offers plenty for fans who want to spend more time in this universe and with its characters.
The gameplay of Star Wars Outlaws is mostly a mix of third-person shooting, hand-to-hand combat, and stealth. One of the biggest issues around launch was that the stealth felt shallow. The game is at its best during moment-to-moment combat encounters, but the stealth mechanics often get in the way and take away from the fun. The animations are excellent, even if the controls can sometimes feel clunky. On the Switch 2, the game runs at 30 FPS, but unlike Assassin’s Creed Shadows, performance here is more stable and consistent, which leads to a better overall experience.
While Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a larger open world, Star Wars Outlaws is built around semi-open environments that can be explored using speeder bikes. The world feels alive without being overwhelming, and there are plenty of ways to move around. Traversal includes light parkour and climbing mechanics that will feel familiar to many players by now.
The game also expands combat into space with dogfights using the Trailblazer ship. The seamless transition from space to planetary surfaces is still impressive. It was technically strong on PC and current-generation consoles, and it is even more impressive when experienced on a handheld. Despite some gameplay shortcomings, the Switch 2 version stands out as a technically polished release.
When it comes to the Switch 2 port, the game is available as a Gold Edition that includes most of the post-launch content. Ubisoft released several updates after the game launched on PC and consoles, and all of those updates are included in the Switch 2 version at launch. The game also continued to receive patches after release, with features added or improved over time. At this point, the game feels far more complete, with many of its early issues addressed. On top of that, all post-launch DLC is included as well, making the Switch 2 release a feature-complete version of Star Wars Outlaws right from the start.
Much like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I was impressed by how smoothly cross-save support works here. This makes the Switch 2 version an easy recommendation for players who have already spent time with the game on PC or consoles, since progress can be carried over without hassle. In terms of replay value, there is a substantial amount of content. The main story alone can take anywhere from 40 to 60 hours, depending on how much time is spent on side missions and optional activities.
As for technical issues, the game does suffer from occasional shadow pop-in, which can be mildly distracting. Character models still look good overall, and the ray-tracing implementation is impressive, especially considering that Assassin’s Creed Shadows did not appear to support it at all. That said, one issue I did not like is that putting the game into standby and then resuming it can sometimes cause a loss of connection to Ubisoft Connect, resulting in an error message. The game works fine after reconnecting, but it is a minor annoyance worth mentioning, particularly for players who frequently switch between docked and handheld play using standby mode.
Star Wars Outlaws Game Information
- Price: $59.99
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Platform: Switch 2 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
