Star Wars Outlaws hits rough terrain on Switch 2, early demo shows
Star Wars Outlaws is headed to Switch 2 this week, but first impressions suggest the port may be more blaster fire than bullseye.
Star Wars Outlaws shows early cracks at PAX West
Ubisoft brought Star Wars Outlaws to PAX West for its first hands-on demo, but what should’ve been a victory lap turned into a warning shot. The port’s early performance on Switch 2 isn’t exactly promising.
Footage has been scarce up until now, aside from brief flashes in Nintendo Directs. And after seeing it in action, it’s easy to see why Ubisoft kept it under wraps.
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PAX demo reveals Star Wars Outlaws struggles
GVG’s Steve Bowling was among the first to test the demo, though Ubisoft barred any direct-feed or over-the-shoulder recording. That restriction alone raised concerns, but Bowling’s recap video confirmed them.
Even during a confined Imperial ship sequence, Star Wars Outlaws suffered from:
- Frequent framerate drops below 30fps
- Uncapped, unstable performance
- Noticeably reduced resolution
- Limited visual clarity in combat
- Ray-traced lighting is only noticeable in quiet moments
And that’s in a tightly controlled setting not the open worlds the game is built around.
Game may test Switch 2’s limits
What’s troubling is that this demo didn’t showcase wide-open planetary exploration. Yet even in smaller environments, the game stuttered under pressure. In larger battles or space dogfights, Bowling noted that the game “didn’t look very remarkable,” even with DLSS and ray-tracing tech doing their best.
If this is the final version shipping on September 4, performance on Switch 2 could be a major sore spot.
Switch 2 fans may need to lower expectations
Ubisoft’s strategy seems clear: promise next-gen visuals, then scale them down to fit on hybrid hardware. But for Star Wars Outlaws, the seams are showing. This could be one of those ports where ambition outpaces optimization, especially without direct footage to prove otherwise.
The short list of issues in the demo already suggests that players hoping for a smooth ride might be in for turbulence.
Star Wars Outlaws launches soon, but should you wait?
With just days to go before launch, there’s little time left for major fixes. For those eager to jump into Kay Vess’ galaxy-hopping adventure, the Switch 2 version may deliver the experience, but not without visual compromises and framerate hiccups.
Star Wars Outlaws may be ready for release, but it doesn’t sound ready for prime time, at least not on this platform.
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