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After the success of Genshin Impact, fans have been looking forward to Hoyoverse's latest project, Honkai: Star Rail. The brand-new RPG adventure is the second installment in the Honkai series and brings tactical turn-based combat to the table. It aims to deliver a console-quality gaming experience with a very low barrier of entry - in other words, free, thanks to its free-to-play nature. This greatly expands the potential playerbase for the game. Throw in the fact that it is a multiplatform release as well, and players across different systems can enjoy it.
But what about the Nintendo Switch? Is the latest and greatest RPG from the Genshin Impact team available on the Super Mario publisher's hybrid platform?
Unfortunately, Honkai: Star Rail is not on Nintendo Switch
Honkai: Star Rail is only available on the following platforms: PC, iOS, and Android. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 systems will be arriving in the near future. But besides these, it does not look like Hoyoverse will be porting the game to further platforms. This may change in the future, of course, but for now, Nintendo fans will have to resort to a PC or smartphone to check out what the hype is about.
Fans might wonder if technical issues are at play, but that does not seem true. For one, this is a linear RPG with smaller environments than Genshin Impact. Furthermore, the combat is also turn-based, with players warping to arenas during each battle. As such, Star Rail should translate well to the Switch. It just seems like it is not a development priority.
Interestingly, Genshin Impact is currently developing for Nintendo Switch, so that seems to quell the feasibility doubts. However, we haven't had any updates on the port for a while. As such, a Star Rail rendition for the portable Nintendo console will likely be further off. It could also be possible that the game could arrive on the rumored Nintendo Switch successor as well.
What alternatives to Honkai: Star rail are available on Nintendo Switch?
For those unaware, the game is a party-based turn-based RPG, similar to many other recent JRPG offerings from the Japanese gaming industry. However, it separates itself from the others by introducing gacha elements. While there are no free-to-play RPGs on Nintendo Switch, countless premium JRPG offerings exist.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a great start for fans of both genres and newcomers, thanks to its meaty campaign and engaging gameplay. Check out the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection for those itching for classics, which recently saw its debut console release. This packs in the first 6 mainline entries of the beloved Square Enix JRPG franchise.
Octopath Traveler 2 and Live-A-Live remake are two more nods to classics from the SNES era and are also from the Final Fantasy publisher. Then there's the excellent Persona 5 Royal, which marked the debut of the mainline series on a Nintendo console. With so many picks to choose from, they should tide fans over until a potential port for Honkai: Star Rail.
