Here's how every Xenoblade game runs on Switch 2 – XCX Definitive, XC2, Torna, Future Redeemed, 3, & more

After tackling the Tales of, Monster Hunter, and Dragon Quest, my newest Nintendo Switch 2 backward compatibility feature covers one of my favorite RPG franchises with Xenoblade Chronicles. Xenoblade Chronicles is now completely available on Nintendo Switch across remakes, remasters, ports, and new games. As with the earlier features, I will be comparing load times, performance, and more when testing on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Today's feature includes Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. I will also be covering Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country and Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed alongside the base games for those DLC releases. 

I will also be going over what I'd like to see in any potential official upgrades or Nintendo Switch 2 Edition releases for the Xenoblade Chronicles games. It has been interesting to see how the engine used has evolved through each release including small improvements seen from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to the Torna expansion. For the load time testing today, I've used the digital version of each game installed to the Nintendo Switch 2 internal memory and the SD card on Nintendo Switch OLED. I've also made sure to mash A to speed up any loading and avoid the publisher and developer logos if possible. 

How does Xenoblade Chronicles 2 run on Nintendo Switch 2?

I adore Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and not only is it my favorite game in the series, but I also consider it one of my favorite games in general. It was unfortunately quite rough on Nintendo Switch with its poor image quality and performance issues. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had issues with how it handled sharpening and also with how low the general resolution targets were across the board. When Torna The Golden Country was released, Monolith Soft made some smart tweaks to the engine for how the sharpening works to generally make the Torna DLC look a bit better. Both the base game and the DLC had performance issues though.

Moving over to Nintendo Switch 2, while not a massive upgrade, it is good to see the games hit the 30fps target a lot more often and even run at the higher end of the dynamic resolution scaling range. While the frame rate isn't a 100% perfect 30fps, it gets very close and generally feels more responsive than playing on Switch 1. This is more apparent during combat. The draw distance and other issues like fast travel causing textures to load after you have character control still happen on Switch 2. There are some load time improvements though.

Note: All load times above are in seconds.

What we want from a Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade

Given the game's age, I hope we get a Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Definitive Edition release that adds some quality of life improvements and drastically improves the resolution with a 60fps target and HDR on Nintendo Switch 2. I think it is too old to get a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade or free patch despite the fact that Breath of the Wild got one. If we only can get a free update like a few other games, I'd love for a big boost in resolution at least with HDR.

How does Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition run on Nintendo Switch 2?

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition launched after Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna did, and it saw some more changes to how Monolith Soft approaches post-processing and visuals. For this release, the sharpening was changed and while some prefer this overall look, I wasn't too happy with some aspects of it at launch. With this change, it felt like the characters were a bit out of focus compared to the environment. As for image quality, it had a similar dynamic resolution range as Xenoblade Chronicles 2. On Switch 1, but it always looked crisper than Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in handheld. The difference wasn't too much though. Thankfully, performance was more stable in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition across the board albeit with some hitching in busier areas.

On Switch 2, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition again is more stable and it sees improved load times. I tested multiple areas and combat to see if I could get the frame rate to drop, but it just held up as it should without slowing down. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition's base game was a more-polished release than Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but I was curious about the Future Connected portion since that had more issues on Switch 1. On Switch 2, just like Switch 1, Future Connected looks a bit softer than the base game, but it holds up well. I didn't spend a lot of time with it for this feature since I wanted to focus on the base game, but if you skipped playing it before and own a Nintendo Switch 2, now is a good time to play it with it generally running more stable. 

Note: All load times above are in seconds.

What we want from a Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade

I don't expect Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition to get any major upgrade from Nintendo beyond a potential patch given how many times it has been re-released and ported across Nintendo platforms. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition would benefit a lot from just a higher resolution in both docked and handheld mode. I'm not sure if 60fps is feasible for it from an engine perspective to comment on that, but I won't say no to a potential 60fps paid upgrade either. Revisiting Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has made me want to replay the whole base game again on Switch 2.

How does Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition run on Nintendo Switch 2?

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition released very close to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct back in March this year. While I haven't finished it yet like I have the other games in this series, I have played well over 70 hours of it on Nintendo Switch. I hadn't unlocked flying yet though so Cullen was able to help out with impressions of that aspect on Switch 2. Before getting to Switch 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was the Xenoblade Chronicles game with the best image quality on Switch by far. It also had the fastest load times, but it suffered from input lag that constantly annoyed me. I got used to the poor draw distance for certain things, but the input lag really dampened how much I enjoyed playing it on Switch 1.

Moving over to Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on Switch 2, even without any update, it feels so much more responsive across the board. The frame rate in busier areas also holds up well while it had slowdown on Nintendo Switch 1 in parts of New Los Angeles. While load times see some improvement, the responsiveness is the biggest upgrade for me in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on Switch 2. As for performance in later portions, Cullen helped and said even flying with a Skell feels more stable on Switch 2 compared to Switch 1. I'm looking forward to finally unlocking that myself to experience it since I've been just doing a lot of optional content right now. Overall, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition itself without any update sees the most benefits on Switch 2 as far as I'm concerned.

Note: All load times above are in seconds.Also the screenshot of the Skell below is from handheld mode.

What we want from a Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade

Since Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition released a few months ago, I hope it gets a free update or a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition patch that adds 60fps support and higher resolution across the board. Beyond those two, the main upgrade I'd want is draw distance since the visual pop in is bad even on Nintendo Switch 2.

How does Xenoblade Chronicles 3 run on Nintendo Switch 2?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 continued to build on Monolith Soft's tech by delivering the best-looking portable experience we had seen in the Xenoblade Chronicles games. Beyond just resolution, it had better cut-scenes and overall pushed things a lot on Nintendo Switch to deliver what felt like an even grander and more-polished experience. The upscaling used in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was a good solution to address the lower resolution, but it wasn't perfect. Performance was a bit inconsistent though as well, especially in more visually complex areas or during busier combat. This also applied to the fantastic Future Redeemed DLC which I consider an essential for Xenoblade series fans. 

Moving over to Nintendo Switch 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 actually did receive a Nintendo Switch 2-specific patch, but it wasn't for any visual or performance improvements as far as I can tell. The patch notes mention "Several adjustments have been made to improve gameplay on Nintendo Switch 2", I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with how the game runs. What I did notice was almost no slowdown when testing battles and exploration while the original Switch used to see dips quite often when I used to move the camera quickly or even engage in some battles. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 generally holds its 30fps target and I was glad to be able to just explore around different locations without the slowdowns the original Switch had.

Note: All load times above are in seconds.

What we want from a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 would benefit a lot from a higher resolution and 60fps. It doesn't really need any quality of life improvements like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does, but a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition release and upgrade with visual and performance improvements would go a long way. 

If we get any updates or upgrades for any of the Xenoblade Chronicles games, I will revisit them and test for any differences in the future.