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The Nintendo Switch is understandably not on par with its bigger competitors like the PS4/XB1, much less PS5/XSX|S. It is a handheld with a mobile chipset, after all. Therefore, games have to be designed not just with the lower grade specs in mind but also restrictions accompanying it: like thermals, power draw, and battery life.
Throughout the years, there have been some great ports for the console. However, the Switch has seen its share of taxing titles. These games either run surprisingly poorly due to not scaling well to the handheld or the devs' lack of experience optimizing it for the platform.
More often than not, it's the latter.
Avoid these five Nintendo Switch games at all costs
5) Payday 2
Payday 2 was initially developed by Overkill Software in 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It is a first-person shooter revolving around pulling heists.
Users can take control of one of the many goons and engage in crime with friends or AI. These activities range from bank robberies to drug trafficking.
Starbreeze Studios' 2018 Nintendo Switch port of the multiplayer shooter was met with a lukewarm response. While the title visually looks fine enough, the performance can vary, with the game chugging along in taxing sections when things get heated.
The fact that gameplay speed is directly tied to frame rate makes this a big problem, as the title itself will slow down when these drops occur.
4) The Sexy Brutale
Indie games are prevalent on Nintendo Switch, so it's disappointing to see some of them turn out poorly on the handheld, especially when it's a game as solid as The Sexy Brutale.
Players are granted a magical mask that allows the protagonist Lafcadio Boone control over the time loop he and other members of the casino mansion find themselves in. Unfortunately, the guests are seemingly being murdered by someone throughout the loop, so Boore must get to the bottom of the situation with the powers he's got.
Cavalier Game Studios' 2017 port of the underrated adventure puzzle game is not so pleasant on Switch. The visual downgrade strips it of the charming visuals, and the end presentation is fairly barebones compared to the PS4.
The minute-long load times and jittery frame rates also make it an unpleasant experience to sit through. What's odd is that each room is pretty bite-sized, so to see the title still suffer downgrades does make fans wonder what's going on beneath the hood.
3) Apex Legends
Probably a good example of "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." Undeniably, Panic Button's Nintendo Switch rendition of the famous battle royale from EA and Respawn Entertainment is a commendable achievement.
It's a full-fat console/PC game running on the same custom Source engine ported to the handheld with no content compromises. However, even with some drastic cutbacks to visuals, the game seems to be a bit too much for the handheld.
While it runs fine when moving around, it tanks when any significant action occurs on screen. The low resolution (dropping to the lowest 600p from max 720p), especially in handheld, can also make it hard to detect players at a distance.
The 30 FPS cap already is a disadvantage for Switch gamers in crossplay against other platforms that operate at 60 FPS and above. Add in these drops, which can also result in hitching when enemies appear within render distance of the player, and it makes for a subpar multiplayer experience.
2) WWE 2K18
2K's annual sports games, especially WWE, have been infamous for releasing buggy at launch. However, things were taken to the extreme with the Nintendo Switch version.
The game looks pretty poor, with cuts to textures and ambient occlusion, and it maxes out at 30 FPS. Resolution is shoddy, with max numbers coming at 720p and 540p even in dock. If EA can put in efforts to get their FIFA games on Switch at 1080p 60 FPS wth good visuals, there's no excuse here.
Performance suffers from the same issue as Payday 2: frame rate slowdowns also slow down the game speed. This, in turn, also affects its audio playback with missed cues and syncs.
If that wasn't bad enough, the frames could drop as low as the tens during wrestler intros. The fact that it still drops frames with the visual downgrades is simply embarrassing.
Not sure if it's related, but there hasn't been a Switch port of the newer WWE games since that release.
For the latest entry in the series, check out WWE 2K22.
1) ARK: Survivial Evolved
Studio Wildcard's 2015 open-world survival game is popular for being unoptimized and buggy, even on high-end PCs and consoles. So when they announced a Switch port, fans were just waiting to see how bad ARK could get.
Unsurprisingly, the developers tumbled further down than anyone would have ever hoped, delivering the worst port ever to grace Nintendo's handheld.
Horrible draw distances and pop-ins, washed-up textures, super long loading times, occasional stutters, and janky frame rates all combine to result in an experience that is best avoided. Worst among all is the lousy resolutions that would make one question their eyesight — these legitimately go as low as 170p.
Yes, 170p on a modern system. There's no sugar coating this one: it's a disaster. How this made it past Nintendo's compliance testing teams is quite baffling.
The series is getting a second installment in the future, featuring famous actor Vin Diesel.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
