Super Robot Wars Y is good on Switch 2, but better on PS5 and Steam Deck

Super Robot Wars Y from Bandai Namco Entertainment is now available worldwide as the series' first simultaneous multi-platform release. Just like the last few games, Super Robot Wars Y is available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. What makes Super Robot Wars Y more notable is that it is available outside Asia and Japan as well, and it also features the game using a new engine. Having played every Super Robot Wars game since the PS Vita days through imports and  digital purchases, I was excited to see how Super Robot Wars Y scales across platforms and devices. 

While I was going to just focus on the technical aspects of Super Robot Wars Y here, I've discovered a few more differences across platforms that may or may not be important for you. For my testing, I used Super Robot Wars Y on Switch, the Switch version on Switch 2, the PS5 version, and the Steam version across both my Steam Decks and my ROG Ally. This article will not feature any spoilers.

Super Robot Wars Y differences between PS5, Switch, and Steam

Super Robot Wars Y has the same in-game content and DLC available across all three platforms, but the Switch version lacks the custom BGM feature. Barring that, there are some technical differences between platforms, but the core experience is the same. You aren't missing anything major by playing it on a specific system, but the platform features might sway your decision for where to buy Super Robot Wars Y like the hybrid nature of the Switch or trophies and achievements.

Super Robot Wars Y PC graphics and display options

Super Robot Wars Y on PC has its graphics and display options under the PC Settings portion of the system menu in options. You can change the windowed mode (Full Screen, Borderless, and Windowed). The resolution seems to be capped to 1920 x 1200 as its highest right now on PC. It basically supports 720p, 800p (with black bars), and 1080p in addition to that. It has MSAA anti-aliasing only with 2x, 4x, and 8x options. Super Robot Wars Y on PC ran at 120fps for me outside battles with 30fps animations during battle. I imagine it can support above 120fps as well, but I tested it at 1440p with 120fps, 60fps, and 90fps during battles.

Super Robot Wars Y PC control options

The PC Settings menu above is also where you can set keybinds and view the current keyboard, mouse, and controller bindings. Not every option can be changed here, but you can adjust many of them. Super Robot Wars Y supports both controller (Xbox) and keyboard & mouse button prompt options with the game changing what it displays on the fly based on input used.

Super Robot Wars Y Steam Deck impressions

Super Robot Wars Y plays great out of the box on Steam Deck. I tested this on the default Proton on my Steam Deck OLED (Stable SteamOS), Proton Experimental on the Steam Deck OLED, and also the SteamOS preview version on my Steam Deck LCD. Super Robot Wars Y supports only 16:9 aspect ratio, but it runs flawlessly on both my Steam Decks at the default settings. After about an hour of playing when I got my code on launch day, I figured out two key ways to improve the experience on Valve's handheld which I cover below in my recommended settings.

Super Robot Wars Y Steam Deck recommended settings

Since there aren't too many graphics and display options in Super Robot Wars Y on PC, and with how light it is to run, I recommend forcing 1080p on Steam Deck for the best possible handheld clarity above even what you get on Switch 2. You can of course still play at 720p and use MSAA at 2X, but I opted to play at 1080p. If you care about battery life above everything, play at 720p/800p (16:9) and use MSAA at 2x. 

The second recommendation I have is to enable the right trackpad as mouse. This lets you get precision movement for the cursor on the grid in battles. It might not seem useful considering this series has always been designed for consoles, but I appreciated having the faster and more precise cursor movement. 

Super Robot Wars Y Switch and Switch 2 impressions

Super Robot Wars Y is a native Nintendo Switch (1) game running via backward compatibility on Switch 2. Having played it on both my Switch OLED and Switch 2, Super Robot Wars Y is good on both, but better on Switch 2 thanks to much faster loading. Performance is similar and the only area I noticed any performance issues was when I zoomed in and out on the map during battles often on Switch. Both versions have the same 60fps target during map movement and 30fps during combat animations. Thanks to the faster loading, I recommend Super Robot Wars Y on Switch 2, but keep in mind that when you play it handheld it will be rendering at a lower resolution than the 1080p screen so it will look a bit soft while it looks crisp on the Switch 1 screen. 

Super Robot Wars Y PS5 impressions

I played the PS5 version of Super Robot Wars Y on my 1440p monitor like I did the Switch and Steam versions when testing them docked or plugged in. There are some elements that are clearly still 1080p so they don't look as crisp as they should on my monitor, but just like the Steam and Switch version, they look mostly fine on the 1440p screen. I would've liked to see 120fps support outside the battle animations on PS5 though, but I have no real complaint with the PS5 version right now. I was also able to get custom BGM working easily on PS5 with the looping working correctly. 

Super Robot Wars Y ROG Ally impressions

On ROG Ally, Super Robot Wars Y's 16:9 and 1080p cap mean it perfectly matches the device's screen. It also has no trouble with higher frame rates when using the 25W mode. In fact, Super Robot Wars Y on ROG Ally loads faster than all the versions aside from the PS5 release. If you have a ROG Ally, Super Robot Wars Y is a great fit with no issues. 

Super Robot Wars Y load time differences across PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC Steam

For my load time testing, I had Super Robot Wars Y installed to the internal storage on Switch 2 (for Switch 2 backward compatibility), the SD card on Switch OLED, the internal SSD on Steam Deck, the internal SSD on ROG Ally, and the internal console storage on PS5. I tested the initial load from the platform dashboard/library and also loading a specific save file at the exact same point in a battle across devices. The load time for battles is a bit longer than the mission select or a story moment so I thought it would be a better point of comparison. The results are below.

Note: All load times above are in seconds.

While the initial load time is faster on ROG Ally, the PS5 was a lot quicker for every single in-game save I tested including the battle ones in the opening hours of the game. I also think it is notable how much the load times improve for the Switch version when playing on Nintendo Switch 2 via backward compatibility. The Steam Deck initial boot up time for the game is longer, but it matches ROG Ally for save loading. Overall, only the Switch version played on Switch is notably longer in every aspect of loading.

Super Robot Wars Y custom BGM support is only on PS5 and Steam

Super Robot Wars Y only supports custom BGM on PS5 and Steam as we covered in our guide here. The Switch and Switch version on Switch 2 do not support importing BGM. It is also worth noting that the PC version doesn't offer seamless looping for custom BGM while the PS5 manages to do that properly as of this writing. Both Kite and I tested this with the same file to check how looping works across PC and PS5. Hopefully Bandai Namco Entertainment can fix the looping issue on PC. 

Which is the best version of Super Robot Wars Y?

Before concluding, I want to note that the visuals are so close between platforms, that I had to literally zoom in a lot to find differences in post-processing and clarity across the environment during each stage. This is not something you will notice during normal play, but if you zoom in a lot, there is a visual difference between platforms. It isn't a major difference though given how the actual animations and attacks play out with 2D elements looking good across all platforms. The image below shows the difference in the Switch version played docked on Switch/Switch 2 and the PS5 version.

Ever since Super Robot Wars V, I've preferred playing the Super Robot Wars games on portables. Back then, the only real option was PS Vita to get a handheld SRW experience. With Super Robot Wars Y, you can play it handheld on Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and basically any portable system. If the Switch version can be patched to support native 1080p on Switch 2, it would be the best portable experience.

Right now, the lack of custom BGM and softer visuals on Switch 2 hold it back. The PC version on Steam Deck OLED delivers the best portable experience with support for custom BGM and trackpad for improved cursor movement. The ROG Ally delivers a 1080p portable experience, but the battery life is much worse unless you have a ROG Ally X model. If you don't care about playing on the go, the PC and PS5 versions will be very close with the latter offering proper looping for custom BGM and the PS5 version offering the fastest loading.

I'm glad that Super Robot Wars Y isn't heavily compromised on any platform when it comes to visuals or performance given this is the first entry in the series to get a worldwide simultaneous multi-platform launch. Super Robot Wars Y is now available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).