Kingdom Hearts III looks good on Switch 2, but the performance in the demo needs to be fixed for launch

Following the Nintendo Direct, Square Enix released a free demo for Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC on Nintendo Switch 2. As someone who has played Kingdom Hearts III over the years across basically every platform, I was curious to see how this new native release would look and run. This is the first current platform release of Kingdom Hearts III and there is potential to scale well above the original PS4 and Xbox One ports given the Switch 2's hardware capabilities. Having now tried the demo, I am disappointed with the performance in the demo, but there are some aspects that impressed me. Since this is a demo, there's a chance the full game sees performance improvements like with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but that remains to be seen here.

Since I will be doing a full comparison closer to the new console launch for the Kingdom Hearts series on PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2, I decided to focus on the most recent versions of Kingdom Hearts III I played when looking at the Switch 2 demo. I replayed the opening hours across the PS4 (on PS5) version, PC version on Steam Deck, and the Switch 2 demo both docked and handheld. I'm going to cover visual differences between the Switch 2 and PS4 versions, Switch 2 handheld experience compared to Steam Deck, and what I hope to see Square Enix address beyond just optimization. 

Kingdom Hearts III Switch 2 vs PS4 and state of the console versions

Kingdom Hearts III is getting a native PS5 and Xbox Series X release when it arrives on Switch 2 in October, but the demo is only on Switch 2 when it comes to current platforms. Back when Kingdom Hearts III launched, I ended up playing it on Xbox One X instead of PS4 Pro because of the VRR support. The PS4 Pro version felt bad to play unless you forced the console to 1080p. The PS4 base release felt too unstable for my liking. When the PS4 and Xbox One versions are played on PS5 and Xbox Series X respectively, they deliver locked 60fps experiences using PS4 Pro and Xbox One X visuals. This means that until now, the best way to play Kingdom Hearts III on console is the Xbox One version on an Xbox Series X. You get crisper visuals than the PS4 on PS5 release and a locked 60fps. 

Note: For the docked and PS4 on PS5 comparisons, I used my 4K capture card to get PS4 on PS5 and Switch 2 docked gameplay captured. I cropped the images to show how both platforms are. 

The PS4 Pro version was softer than Xbox One X delivering a sub 1440p experience. In the few areas I measured when playing it on PS5 via backward compatibility, I got a 1296p reading which makes sense given it was the upper limit back at launch on PS4 Pro as tested by Digital Foundry. 

Keeping all that in mind, I was hoping the Switch 2 release would match or exceed the Xbox One X version given the hardware, but what we have is a port that goes above PS4 Pro in some aspects, and below in others. When it comes to image quality, Kingdom Hearts III has a dynamic resolution based on the opening hours on Switch 2 docked. In the four locations I tested, I was getting results between 1080p and 1296p, but I would not use these as hard numbers as I did not test every single location and this is not the final build. This lines up with the PS4 Pro version rather than the Xbox One X version. 

When it comes to performance, Kingdom Hearts III on Switch 2 unfortunately just runs uncapped between 30 and 60fps. It can hit 60fps in less demanding areas and if you look at a wall and move the camera, but it is very much an uncapped experience during actual gameplay. Even some locations later that run at a higher average frame rate never hit a locked 60fps. Depending on your tolerance for this, you may be able to play it without issues, but I would have liked an optional 30 or 40fps cap here in addition to better optimization. We've seen many older games run a lot better than the PS4 and Xbox One versions when played docked on Switch 2. Hopefully this is just an early build, but right now I'm satisfied with how Kingdom Hearts III looks and loads on Switch 2, but the performance leaves a lot to be desired. The area it does excel above PS4 Pro, is in load times which I will cover below. 

Kingdom Hearts III Switch 2 vs Steam Deck handheld 

I assumed Kingdom Hearts III would be better handheld with the VRR display, but it unfortunately is too unstable for my liking right now when it comes to performance. Visually, Kingdom Hearts III has a dynamic resolution handheld and it can drop to 720p in my testing with other results around 900p. Again, I want to stress that I only pixel counted a few locations and will save more tests for when I get the final game. I just wanted a rough idea to see where the current build ended up on the spectrum. Even with that dynamic resolution range (and a native 1080p UI), Kingdom Hearts III looks good on the device itself. 

For some background, Kingdom Hearts III on Steam Deck cannot deliver a locked 60fps experience at a full 720p output even on the low preset. When I replayed Kingdom Hearts III on Steam Deck for the series' Steam debut, I ended up opting for a 40fps on Steam Deck LCD and 45fps on Steam Deck OLED cap with tweaked settings. Having a stable frame rate, even at 40fps, is a lot better than an uncapped and variable 30s to 50s average range you get here.

Note: For the comparison above, I used the Steam screenshot functionality on Steam Deck and the Switch 2's system capture functionality. I then cropped the images to show the same location on both platforms. I also tested the Steam Deck on the high preset at 720p which resulted in a 50-55fps experience here. 

Kingdom Hearts III's demo has some locations that run closer to 60fps, but it remains the exception right now. Since Kingdom Hearts III is a last generation game, I expected better for the port given the Switch 2 hardware. Again, a 40fps handheld experience should be a given for last generation games like this, but the port's performance leaves a lot to be desired. 

Right now, Kingdom Hearts III handheld delivers a better looking experience on Switch 2, but a more stable experience on Steam Deck. I even downloaded Kingdom Hearts III on my other Steam Deck to be sure of the performance because I was linked to some video where the low preset was barely holding 30fps on Steam Deck. I can confirm that I was easily able to get a 45fps at 90hz experience using the medium preset. The high preset was almost a perfect 40fps experience as well. In the four areas I tested across the game, I was even able to get a 30fps lock at max settings, though I will save definitive Steam Deck recommendations for when I do my full comparison closer to the Switch 2 native release. Right now, I'd stick to medium for 45fps on Steam Deck OLED.

Kingdom Hearts III load times compared on Switch 2, Steam Deck, and the PS4 version tested on PS5

To test load times, I installed Kingdom Hearts III on the PS4 Pro hard drive, the PS4 version on PS5 external hard drive, the PS4 version on PS5 internal storage, the PS4 version on PS5 Pro internal storage, the PC version on Steam Deck internal storage, and the Switch 2 version on the Switch 2 internal storage. Kingdom Hearts III has a lot of forced splash screens in the beginning inflating the load times. In addition to the dashboard to title screen, I tested the time taken to load an early save file on all platforms. The results below are in seconds.

As you can see, the native Switch 2 demo build loads the save faster than the PS4 version on any console and the PC version on Steam Deck. It also loads the title screen as fast as the PS4 version running off an SSD. The Switch 2 demo build is a big improvement over the PS4 version played on PS4 or PS4 Pro consoles and it also loads faster than the Steam Deck. It remains to be seen how the PS5 and Xbox Series versions load given they will be native builds for SSD-only platforms. Either way, this is a good result for Switch 2.

What Square Enix needs to fix in Kingdom Hearts III on Switch 2 for launch

If Square Enix wants to deliver a PS4 Pro tier visual experience on Switch 2, it needs to do better in performance. I would like to see a 1440p 30fps mode and a dynamic resolution 60fps mode docked at least. Square Enix should also look into doing a stable 40fps at 120hz handheld mode on Switch 2. Right now, I'm fine with the visuals being similar to PS4 Pro, but performance leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully we see improvements in the final build and a patch for the demo closer to launch. 

Kingdom Hearts III is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam). It launches on October 8 for PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2.