A Eurogamer writer has shared early impressions of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, reporting that the port runs considerably better than expected, though it is not without performance hiccups. This matters because it demonstrates how far Nintendo and its partners are willing to push the Switch 2's hardware to bring large, demanding titles to the handheld, and offers a useful benchmark for prospective buyers weighing up console versus PC performance.

After roughly ten hours of play, covering areas including Weeping Peninsula, Stormveil Castle and Liurnia of the Lakes, the writer found the game ran at a stable 30 frames per second in docked mode with longer loading times than on PC, but adapted to this quickly during boss fights against Margit and Godrick. Notable frame-rate drops occurred during the fast-paced Red Wolf of Radagon encounter, forcing a change of tactics, though the following Rennala boss fight ran smoothly. The Tarnished Edition also introduces two new starting classes, including one with a new Light Greatsword, and the writer intends to continue through to the game's DLC content to assess performance further.