Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 Port Didn't Take a Herculean Effort—But Making It Play Well Was the Real Challenge, Says CD Projekt Red

CD Projekt Red has confirmed that bringing Cyberpunk 2077 to the Nintendo Switch 2 wasn’t an overwhelming technical endeavor—but making sure it played well and met the studio’s quality standards was an entirely different story.

In a recent interview with The Game Business, Jan Rosner, CD Projekt Red’s Senior Vice President of Business, opened up about the porting process and the studio’s approach to ensuring Cyberpunk 2077 not only runs on Nintendo’s upcoming next-gen handheld hybrid but runs properly. According to Rosner, the game was able to run on the new hardware “fairly quickly and without a gigantic effort.” However, optimizing it for handheld play, adapting to the system’s unique feature set, and maintaining the studio’s high bar for playability required serious attention.

“Our goal was to make sure Cyberpunk 2077 plays well on Switch 2. We knew we had to compromise on some visuals, but never on the artistic vision,” said Rosner.

Given the game’s troubled launch on last-gen hardware, this time CD Projekt Red took a more cautious and deliberate approach. Rosner emphasized that the focus was to deliver the full Cyberpunk 2077 experience from start to finish, with no missing content or streaming requirements, even if it meant tuning the visuals down to fit within the console's capabilities.

This philosophy is also reflected in their packaging choice. Unlike many third-party publishers, CD Projekt Red is releasing Cyberpunk 2077 on a full physical cartridge with no additional downloads required. Rosner noted the significance of this decision, drawing from the company’s experience with The Witcher 3: Complete Edition on the original Nintendo Switch:

“The Nintendo audience places a lot of value on physical editions. With The Witcher 3, we saw how much it mattered to players. That’s why Cyberpunk 2077 for Switch 2 is launching with the entire game on cartridge—no extra downloads, just plug-and-play.”

This decision further underlines CDPR's commitment to offering a premium, consumer-friendly experience on Nintendo’s latest platform, and ensures Cyberpunk 2077 will be among the standout AAA titles available at launch.

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to launch on Nintendo Switch 2 globally on June 5, 2025, day-and-date with the console’s debut in most regions. It will join an expanding list of major third-party titles now confirmed for Nintendo’s more powerful hybrid system. The game is also currently available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

What are your thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077 launching on Switch 2 with no download required? Will you be picking it up day one, or do you already own it elsewhere? Share your thoughts with us below.