Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Launches on Switch 2, But It’s Not All Positive

For the first time in over ten years, a new Call of Duty title is set to launch on a Nintendo console this fall. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be available on Switch 2, alongside PC, Xbox, and PS5. Recently, players had the chance to see how this upcoming shooter performs on Nintendo’s less powerful hardware. The verdict? It runs and mostly meets its framerate goals, but the visuals are subpar, the experience feels rough, and it may not satisfy the majority of Call of Duty fans.

Modern Warfare 4 recently wrapped up its second and final beta weekend, which was open to everyone without the need for a pre-order. This beta also marked the first time players could experience a campaign mission on the Switch 2. After testing the closed beta earlier, I was eager to see how it compared to the PS5 version. Unsurprisingly, the Switch 2 port of Call of Duty leaves much to be desired.

On the positive side, Modern Warfare 4 aims for 60 FPS on Switch 2 in both handheld and docked modes, and it mostly achieves that in docked mode. There are occasional framerate dips, but the PS5 version experiences similar issues, even on my PS5 Pro. However, to maintain 60 FPS, many of the game’s visuals and effects had to be significantly toned down. The result is a game that appears blurry and unstable on a TV.

Standing still and observing a multiplayer map on the Switch 2 revealed a shimmering image filled with low-resolution textures and various visual artifacts. These compromised graphics made it difficult to distinguish between distant players and mere environmental details. At times, I mistook a cluster of smeared pixels for an enemy when it was just a box or door. When multiple players appeared on screen, which is common in online PvP shooters, the visuals became even more muddled.

Frustratingly, these visual sacrifices don’t even help the game maintain 60 FPS in handheld mode. In fact, it runs noticeably worse, often struggling to exceed 45 FPS, especially during explosions or when players are nearby. Even the developers acknowledge that the handheld version of Modern Warfare 4 requires further optimization.

I don’t want to be overly critical. Getting a visually impressive game like Modern Warfare 4 running on a Switch 2 is undoubtedly a challenging task. So, props to the team for making it playable, albeit in a less-than-ideal state. The campaign looks somewhat better but is capped at 30 FPS. Still, experiencing a high-octane Call of Duty level on a Switch 2 in handheld mode was quite an experience.

Kudos to the porting team, and I hope the full release in October improves both visuals and performance. However, I can’t help but wonder who this version is really for.

It seems likely that anyone eager to play Call of Duty in 2026 already owns a PS5, Xbox, or PC. Sure, they might also have a Switch 2, but why choose to play on Nintendo’s less powerful console when they could enjoy a superior experience on PC or PS5?

I’m not convinced there’s a significant audience of Switch 2 owners who lack access to other consoles or a decent PC and are eager to play Modern Warfare 4. During the beta, with crossplay enabled, I rarely encountered players on Switch 2, as most were on other platforms.

It feels like Modern Warfare 4 exists on Switch 2 primarily because of commitments made by Activision’s parent company, Xbox/Microsoft, to regulators about keeping Call of Duty a multiplatform franchise and expanding to new platforms. This was part of Xbox’s strategy to acquire Activision and secure approval for the deal.

Now, after all that has been settled, Xbox is left with a Switch 2 port of Modern Warfare 4 that may not attract much interest and is likely to be the least favorable way to experience the FPS come October.