Warframefans hoping for a native version of the game on Nintendo Switch 2 will have to wait a little longer. WhileWarframedeveloper Digital Extremes has confirmed interest in bringing the free-to-play sci-fi shooter to the Switch 2, the team hasn’t even started on a port yet - and not for lack of trying.
First launched in 2013,Warframeis one of the longest-running live-service games on the market right now. Digital Extremes has done well to supply heftycontent updates toWarframeregularly, and the shooter’s popularity is further helped by its ubiquitous platform presence - PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. An Android port ofWarframewas recently confirmed for a fall 2025 launch too, but the situation surrounding Nintendo’s latest console remains hazy.
Despite the Switch 2 having hit the market well over a month ago, Digital Extremes still hasn’t received a development kit from Nintendo. Like many other studios, Digital Extremes currently lacks the necessary resources to begin building a version ofWarframethat takes advantage of theSwitch 2’s upgraded hardware. During a recent press Q&A held ahead of TennoCon 2025 - reported byEurogamer- Digital Extremes CEO Steve Sinclair stated that the studio’s programmers are “so excited” to explore what the Switch 2 is capable of.
Warframe Switch 2 Version Will Launch Only After Nintendo Provides Dev Kits to Digital Extremes
He confirmed thatDigital Extremes has definite plans for a Switch 2 version ofWarframe, but the team is stuck waiting for Nintendo to make dev kits more widely available. “There’s just such a backlog for dev kits,” Sinclair explained, joking that even one kit would be enough to get started on theWarframeSwitch 2 version. Sinclair added that a Switch 2-nativeWarframewould feature improvementslike faster load times and better performance through the use of high-speed cores - enhancements that simply aren’t possible to implement without a dev kit.
I know our programmers are just like, ‘Oh, I can’t wait’, so we definitely have plans. And when we get a [Switch 2] dev kit, we’ll be doing a custom build for Warframe, absolutely.
For now, players can still access theSwitch version ofWarframeon the Switch 2 via backward compatibility. However, someWarframeusers have reported occasional start-up issues on Switch 2, which Digital Extremes is currently investigating. If anything, these performance hiccups further highlight the need for a dedicated Switch 2 build ofWarframeto meet player expectations on Nintendo’s latest and greatest. It’s also worth noting that Digital Extremes isn’t the only studio waiting for Switch 2 dev kits, with developers like Ant Workshop and Fellow Traveller Games also having reported similar problems acquiring them.
