The Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its lifespan, with Nintendo in full swing to announce its next best console to eager fans. While it is slowly being phased out, the Switch has had a strong send-off, with Nintendo releasing a number of brand-new spin-offs and titles within beloved franchises. Of course, there are still a handful of first-party games coming to the original Switch, but, for the most part, developers have long since moved on to the Switch 2 and are preparing for its inevitable release.

This means that a lot of players are curious about what the Switch 2's third-party launch games will be, and whether they'll include the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring. However, while everyone gets excited about Switch 2 titles, it's hard not to reflect on which games the Switch missed, despite all the miracle ports that managed to make their way over. There is one game in particular that never made it to the Switch, despite there being plenty of reasons for it to make the jump.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Should Be On Nintendo Switch

It Would Complete The Series On Nintendo's Handheld

Red Dead Redemption 2, despite being one of the most popular games of all time and one of the few titles that managed to make the top ten best-selling games of all time list, never made its way over to the Nintendo Switch. Of course, there have been a few Rockstar games that made it onto the Nintendo Switch, including a strong port of L.A. Noire, the somewhat controversial GTA Trilogy, and, surprisingly, the original Red Dead Redemption. So, it is disappointing that the beloved Red Dead Redemption 2 never made the jump.

As of November 2024, according to Statista, Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold 67 million copies. While that is undeniably impressive, it would have almost certainly sold significantly more had it been released on Nintendo's hardware, especially earlier on in its lifespan. There isn't anything like RDR2 on the Switch, with the handful of truly enormous open-world RPGs lacking the immersive gameplay and storytelling that it offers. Of course, it's easy to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 should have been on the Switch, but it's hard to say whether it would even have run on it.

Could The Nintendo Switch Run RDR2?

It's Possible With Some Sacrifices

It's highly unlikely that the Nintendo Switch could have run Red Dead Redemption 2 without some serious sacrifices being made. The closest point of comparison is 2015's The Witcher 3, which while one of the best Switch ports of all time, significantly reduced its resolution, overall image quality, and number of NPCs in order to try and achieve a stable framerate. Even now, The Witcher 3 struggles to maintain a consistent 30 FPS on the Switch whenever the player goes to busy locations, like major cities and settlements.

There is also 2023's Hogwarts Legacy, which runs relatively smoothly on the Switch despite being a more modern release. Once again, significant sacrifices have been made to get it to run on the Nintendo Switch, making it the inferior version of Hogwarts Legacy. Importantly, the sacrifices made to Hogwarts Legacy on Switch go far beyond cosmetic, as additional loading screens had to be added to villages beyond Hogwarts as well as the shops within those spaces. Additionally, important details and locations were altered in some cases in order to achieve a smoother 30 FPS.

Even if Red Dead Redemption 2 could have run on the Nintendo Switch - which it may have been able to with similar concessions made to it like Hogwarts Legacy - it's unlikely that Rockstar would have agreed to the changes anyway. One of the biggest selling points of RDR2 is its impressive level of immersion and realism, both of which would be diminished greatly were it to be compressed onto a tiny 32GB Switch cartridge.

There's Still Hope For RDR2 On Switch 2

It Could Be A Launch Title

Fortunately, there is still hope for Nintendo fans wanting to complete the Red Dead Redemption adventure, as RDR2 is likely to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2. Considering the Switch 2's leaked specs imply that it's as powerful as the PS4, it would have no trouble running Red Dead Redemption 2. It is even possible that RDR2 may be released as a launch title for the console in order to showcase how it has improved upon the original Switch.

With games like Death Stranding running on mobile phones, it is absolutely only a matter of time before people are playing Red Dead Redemption 2 on a Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, it was unlikely to ever have come to the first Switch, even if other AAA open-world titles managed to make the jump thanks to their incredible miracle ports. Thankfully, the Switch 2's backwards compatibility means that anyone who bought the original Red Dead Redemption can still carry over the adventure to the next Nintendo console.

Source: Statista, Nintendo of America/YouTube