The first thing that springs to mind when Microsoft declared it would be bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo devices after their acquisition of Activision-Blizzard (pending approval), by locking in a 10-year deal (also still, at this time, pending approval) is how well would actually it run on Nintendo Switch platforms?
In all honesty, it’s a valid question—and one fans are torn over.
The Switch’s hardware doesn’t come close to matching the minimum specifications required to run Warzone on PC.
It needs a GPU comparable to a GeForce GTX 670, a CPU similar to an Intel i3 Processor or AMD FX-6300 Processor, 8GB of RAM, and 175GB of disk space.
It’s about twice as powerful as the Switch’s custom Maxwell GPU, ARM-based CPU, and 4GB of DD4 SDRAM. Moreover, the base model has 32GB of disk space, while the OLED model has 64GB of disk space, which means an SD card will probably be necessary.
Despite these technical limitations, the Switch can handle other popular battle royale and competitive shooter titles like Apex Legends and Fortnite, so it has the means to do it.
But if we use them as an example, it also means that while CoD will be playable, it won’t run amazingly, and it certainly won’t look top-notch, at least, not compared to the title running on PC, PS5, and Xbox.
Apex is supposed to run at 30 frames per second on the Switch, but it fails to hit it consistently. The dynamic resolution can also drop as low as 1066×600 in docked mode and 960×540 in handheld mode—and that’s on a port that already has a lot of graphics features toned down.
Fortnite, on the other hand, runs decently. It hovers around 30 frames per second most of the time. It also looks a bit nicer, with a resolution of 1560×880 in docked mode and 1170×660 in handheld mode.
The graphics and draw distance are limited compared to other versions too.
CoD will probably run similarly to Apex and Fortnite, although it’ll likely be closer to Apex because the two are graphically similar, while Fortnite’s cartoony aesthetic makes it less intensive and hardware dependent.
That being said, the Switch has proven that it can punch above its weight on other ports.
DOOM Eternal and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, for example, both run exceptionally well and look fantastic. But since neither has massive sprawling maps filled with players online, it’ll be a stretch for CoD to compare.
Ultimately, it all comes down to how well Microsoft—or whichever studio they employ, can port the CoD titles.
It’ll run but won’t run fantastically unless the port is totally perfect.
