The Verge's review finds that Elden Ring's "Tarnished Edition" port for the Nintendo Switch 2 preserves the core experience of FromSoftware's acclaimed 2022 open-world action RPG, including the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, while offering a genuinely compelling new way to play it. The reviewer argues the Switch 2's hybrid handheld-console format suits Elden Ring particularly well, echoing how Nintendo's platform has previously enhanced other sprawling open-world titles, since it lets players make incremental progress in short bursts before settling in for longer sessions on a television.

After roughly ten hours with the Switch 2 version, following dozens of hours previously spent on PS5, the reviewer reports no stuttering or frame-rate drops in either portable or docked mode, aside from occasional long loading times. Some downgrades are visible, such as less detailed character models and muddier textures, but these are described as purely cosmetic and easily forgotten during play. The port arrives ahead of FromSoftware's upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, and is framed as a strong technical showing that could make it the reviewer's preferred way to experience the game.