Up until recently, the Final Fantasy series has never caused much discourse for performance or graphical quality for its releases, usually being one of the series that highlights cinematic flair and still runs fairly smoothly. That, of course, changed with the somewhat lacking performance quality of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16. With a new FF on the horizon for Nintendo Switch 2, many fans may be happy to hear the recent demo reportedly ran great.
During Gamescom 2025, Digital Foundry went hands-on with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade and called it “the best-looking thing on Switch 2.” He also compared it favorably to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of the game, saying it likely falls in between the two for its overall performance.
DF Direct Weekly #228 is now on early access to backers of our Supporter Program, talking Gamescom 2025 highlights, Elden Ring and FF7R on Switch 2, Valve Fremont specs, Microsoft’s proposed #StutterStruggle solution, Kirby’s Air Ride and much, much more: patreon.com/digitalfoundry
— Digital Foundry (@digitalfoundry.bsky.social) 2025-08-24T21:18:38.618Z
FF7 Remake Intergrade On Switch 2 Is Getting A Lot Of Praise
The Third-Party Standout On The Console
One of the biggest concerns for some fans when it comes to the Switch 2 is the performance quality of the third-party offerings. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition ran poorly at the event, reportedly, with attendees unable to capture direct footage of the game’s performance issues. The other major third-party game demoed at Gamescom was, of course, FF7 Remake Intergrade, and it has been getting almost nothing but glowing early impressions.
According to Digital Foundry, the game ran at a stable 30 FPS in docked mode at 1080P. Staff at the game’s booth at Gamescom confirmed that the game was actually running at 40 FPS, so it was likely running in Performance Mode. Even running in Performance Mode, the game appears to look just as good or better than the PS4 version.
FF7 Remake Intergrade Still Doesn’t Have A Release Date On Switch 2
But It’s Coming This Year
With so many positive reports about FF7 Remake on Switch 2, many fans are wondering when the game will actually release. The release window is still set for Winter 2025, along with the Xbox Series X/S version of the game. The Nintendo Switch 2’s game release strategy is reportedly in three phases, with November and December having a mix of third-party and first-party titles, so it seems likely FF7 Remake is a November or December game.
The overall reception of third-party, more graphically intensive offerings on the Switch 2 has been mixed. Street Fighter 6, FF7 Remake, and Cyberpunk 2077 seem to be setting the bar for optimization on the console, while Elden Ring is causing a lot of concern. Luckily, it’s looking like Final Fantasy fans will get a solid port of a great game later this year.
