TheNintendo Switch 2has only been out for a few weeks, but third-party support for the handheld is already looking quite promising. Several multi-platform games that would have never been able to run on the original Switch, such asElden Ring,Star Wars Outlaws, and the upcomingMadden NFL 26, will be available on Nintendo’s new console, thanks to its increased technical capabilities. TheSwitch 2may not be as powerful as the PS5 or the Xbox Series X, but it should be able to play most of the major third-party games that those consoles support.
While Nintendo has secured a compelling lineup of titles for the Switch 2 so far, there are some notable absences from the console’s library. Lately, there’s been a demand for the release of nativeSwitch 2 ports for games such asDeath Stranding: Director’s Cut,Tekken 8,Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix,Persona 3 Reload, andMetaphor: ReFantazio, but none of these games have been officially announced for the system yet. It would be great, of course, to have as many games as possible on the Switch 2, but if there’s one title that should be prioritized for the system above all else, it’sBaldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 on Nintendo Switch 2 Seems Like an Easy Win for Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3 Was One of 2023’s Best Games
Baldur’s Gate 3was one of the most widely acclaimed games of 2023. Set in the world of theForgotten Realms, aDungeons and Dragonscampaign setting,BG3is a turn-based CRPG in which choice and consequence play a major role in defining a player’s story. Despite a lengthy run in early access,Baldur’s Gate 3blew up in popularity and sold millions of copies across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Since Baldur’s Gate 3 Can Run on the Steam Deck, It Can Probably Run on the Switch 2 as Well
Baldur’s Gate 3is an ambitious game that’s chock-full of content, but it’s not a particularly demanding one. While the game does require a decent PC, it can run on a wide variety of low-end configurations, including those of PC handhelds. On the Steam Deck, for instance,Baldur’s Gate 3can run at a stable 30 FPSat low graphical settings, and although it can drain the system’s battery, it can be completed from start to finish on the handheld without any glaring technical hiccups. The only feature inBaldur’s Gate 3that struggles to run on the Steam Deck, however, is split-screen co-op.
The Xbox port ofBaldur’s Gate 3was infamously delayed for three months because Larian Studios wasn’t able to get the game’s split-screen co-op function running on the Series S. Earlier this year, it added support for this feature on the console.
Since the Nintendo Switch 2 is relatively comparable in power to the Steam Deck, a game likeBaldur’s Gate 3should be able to run perfectly fine on the system. That said, it’s hard to say if Larian Studios is actually interested in supporting Nintendo’s new console. Throughout its existence, the company hasn’t really bothered to port most of its games to Nintendo platforms and has instead opted to support PC, PlayStation, and Xbox devices.
Divinity: Original Sin 2is the first, and currently, onlyLarian game that’s available on a Nintendo console, as it was released on the original Switch in 2019. Plus,BG3isn’t even available on the first Switch console.
A Nintendo Employee Was Involved in the Development of Baldur’s Gate 3
Shortly afterBaldur’s Gate 3’s release in August 2023, there was some speculation among fans thata Switch 2 portof the game was already in development. A few keen-eyed players noticed that Etsushi Iizuka, a veteran developer at Nintendo, had been given a shoutout in the ‘Special Thanks’ section of the game’s credits.
Since almost all the games that Iizuka had worked on had appeared on a Nintendo console before, many assumed that he must have been involved in the production of an unannounced Switch 2 version ofBaldur’s Gate 3. Although nothing has come of these claims so far, they will hopefully end up being true in the long run.
