Which Is the Best Version of Triangle Strategy? PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, Switch, PC, and Steam Deck Compared

Square Enix's strategy RPG Triangle Strategy launched a few days ago for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S following the game's release on Switch and Steam. As I've been making my way across different franchises to test Switch 2 backward compatibility performance, I was working on something for the HD-2D games given we have a new release in Octopath Traveler 0 coming soon with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales following.

After tackling Final Fantasy IX for its 25th anniversary going over every version, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, and Chrono Trigger for its 30th anniversary, Triangle Strategy's new ports to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S were good reasons to work on a standalone feature given its journey over the years. I'm going to cover Triangle Strategy on Switch, the Switch version on Switch 2, Steam version on Steam Deck, Steam version on ROG Ally, Xbox version on Xbox Series X, the Xbox on PC version on ROG Ally, and the PS5 version for this feature.

Triangle Strategy release timeline

Before getting to the versions and other differences, Triangle Strategy has had an interesting release timeline across platforms. 

• March 2022: Triangle Strategy launches worldwide for Nintendo Switch published by Nintendo in the West and Square Enix in other regions.
• October 2022: Triangle Strategy is released on PC Steam from Square Enix.
• October 2024: Triangle Strategy releases for Meta Quest.
• December 2024: Triangle Strategy is delisted from the eShop in the West.
• January 2025: Triangle Strategy returns to the eShop now published by Square Enix.
• August 2025: Triangle Strategy releases for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Triangle Strategy feature differences across platforms

Usually, I'd be covering the content and feature differences between platforms, but Triangle Strategy is at parity across PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch when it comes to in-game content and updates. The PS5 and Xbox versions shipped with all updates included from the start while the 1.1.0 update with replay feature, Extra Story epilogue, and other adjustments was patched into the Switch and Steam versions later. The differences here are in the platform features offered and the technical details. Each version of the game available today offers something different thanks to the various platform features. I've listed them below: 

• Triangle Strategy on Switch and Switch 2: The original release with the ability to play docked or handheld seamlessly including backward compatibility improvements when played on Switch 2. 
• Triangle Strategy on Steam: The Steam release plays perfectly on PC and Steam Deck out of the box. It also supports Steam Achievements. 
• Triangle Strategy on PS5: Triangle Strategy on PS5 features Trophy support, activity card tracking, and also Remote Play working great for this gameplay.
• Triangle Strategy on Xbox: Triangle Strategy on Xbox is a Play Anywhere title letting you access it on your Xbox Series console and Windows 11 device with saves syncing across. It also supports Quick Resume.

Triangle Strategy visuals and performance differences across PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, and Switch

Triangle Strategy on Nintendo Switch targets 30fps in both docked and handheld modes. On the resolution side, it ran between 720p and 900p when docked (dynamic resolution) with 1080p menus and UI as covered by Digital Foundry. The handheld range was between 600p and 720p. The 30fps target is held better than in the original Octopath Traveler. Triangle Strategy in general felt like a much more polished experience technically.

When played on Switch 2, I didn't notice any performance issues, but there are upscaling issues since the HD-2D aesthetic was already not native resolution on Switch 1, and it is now scaled to 1080p handheld and even higher when played docked. This is one of the reasons I hope Square Enix offers paid upgrades or patches for all the HD-2D games. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake's free update, while not perfect, was a massive upgrade over the original Switch 1 version played on Switch 2. I also would rather play the Switch 1 version on my Switch OLED screen than deal with the upscaling and LCD display on Switch 2 for this specific game. There is a bit too much shimmering playing this in handheld when moving the camera, and it just feels worse on Switch 2 than Switch OLED for me. 

Note: The comparison image above has been captured using the same tool for all platforms on my 4K capture device with no compression. It has then been cropped and scaled to show the difference in visuals. The Switch version on Switch 2 still targets 30fps while PS5 and Xbox Series X target 60fps with much higher resolution across the board. 

Moving over to the Steam release, the game can now run at up to 4K and 60fps and the resolution upgrade is noticeable with how crisp everything can look even when playing on Steam Deck with double the frame rate as Switch. Note that just like Artdink's Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake release, the PC version is capped to 60fps. This means that you will need to make sure your screen refresh rate is 60 or 120 (and so on) so you get smooth scrolling. If you play on a Steam Deck OLED at 90hz, it will not feel as smooth as when you cap it to 60 in my testing.

The new PS5 and Xbox Series X versions offer a massive upgrade in resolution over the Switch original as you'd expect with no performance issues at all as far as I can tell. These versions target 60fps, but still use the same low resolution and 30fps title screen video that the Switch version uses. This is also a problem on Steam and I hope we stop seeing this happen given how bad it looks on the title screen when the gameplay is crisp and smooth. 

Triangle Strategy on Xbox is a Play Anywhere title and I decided to check out both the Steam and Xbox on PC (Microsoft Store) version on my ROG Ally to test for any differences. Visuals and performance are the same, but the load times are worse for the Microsoft Store version compared to Steam as you will see below. 

Triangle Strategy load times across Switch 2, PS5, Steam, Xbox, Xbox on PC, and Switch

For the load times, I've tested the Steam version installed to my Steam Deck internal SSD, Steam version installed on the ROG Ally internal SSD, Xbox on PC (Microsoft Store version) installed on the ROG Ally internal SSD, PS5 version installed on the internal storage, Xbox Series X version installed to the internal storage, Switch version installed on the Switch OLED SD card, and Switch version installed to the internal storage on Switch 2. I also mashed the buttons to skip any logos to speed things up as much as I could for the dashboard to title screen option. For the save file load time, I tested loading an early save in the same situation for all systems.

Note: All load times above are in seconds. *For the Xbox versions, the save syncing is not as seamless and quick as with Steam so this time is very variable. I tested it five times and got that range. 

As you can see, the PS5 version loads the quickest by far initially and has slightly faster save loading than every other system. The Switch 1 is the slowest (alongside the Microsoft Store version on PC during a longer sync), but the Switch version benefits from the Switch 2 storage to load quicker. I hope the save syncing on the Xbox platform can be improved because it needs a lot of improvements before it reaches the speed and reliability of Steam Cloud or even Switch syncing across devices. 

Which version of Triangle Strategy is the best?

Having played Triangle Strategy across Switch at launch, the PC version on Steam when it released months later, revisiting it on Steam Deck and ROG Ally, the Switch version on Switch 2 to test backward compatibility, and then the new PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, you are getting a fantastic experience on PS5, Xbox Series X, and on PC. The Switch version on the original Switch is still not bad, but it really suffers when played on Switch 2 handheld with how the system handles older games and thanks to the Switch version's lower resolution. If there was a way to play the Switch version with its docked profile in handheld mode, it would be a better experience.

The real issue is that we don't have a Switch 2 Edition like with Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven or Switch 2 compatibility improvement patch like with Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. These HD-2D games would dramatically benefit from those given how good the aesthetic looks at higher resolutions. I would definitely pay to upgrade all the older HD-2D games since they really shine at higher resolutions and the Switch versions do not look great on Switch 2 in handheld mode with the same 30fps cap. 

Which version of Triangle Strategy should you buy today?

Everyone has their own priorities for what they want, so I'm going to list the advantages and disadvantages of every single version of Chrono Trigger as a conclusion to this feature below:

• Triangle Strategy on Switch: The original release is still good on Switch thanks to the console's hybrid nature, but this is now the worst version of the game when it comes to resolution and performance. While it does benefit from faster load times on Switch 2, the visual compromises made are more apparent on the latter's 1080p screen and when played docked at higher resolutions. If you want to own a physical copy though, this is the only platform with one right now.
• Triangle Strategy on Steam: If you play on Steam Deck or PC in general, this is the only version you should consider. It plays fantastic on Steam Deck out of the box and is a very good PC release. 
• Triangle Strategy on PS5: If you want to play on your TV, care about trophy support, and don't care about portable play (unless you stream to a PlayStation Portal or phone), this is the version to get. It is also the fastest version when it comes to load times.
• Triangle Strategy on Xbox: If you have access to a PC handheld or play on Xbox Series consoles and PC, the Play Anywhere feature is a big selling point in addition to the Quick Resume feature on Xbox, but the longer initial load times thanks to the syncing holds this version back a bit.

Hopefully this helped you decide where you should get Triangle Strategy and if you already own it, got you to finally play or revisit it because it is one of Square Enix's best games in years (with a sublime soundtrack). I just hope we see a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade in some form so there is no caveat to recommending playing Triangle Strategy on any modern console or PC platform.

Triangle Strategy is now available for Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam and Xbox on PC), PS5, and Xbox Series. Read our review of the original game here.