Review Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Works On Switch 2, Despite a 30fps Campaign - But Poor Input Lag Needs Addressing

As the first Call of Duty release on a Nintendo console since Ghosts arrived on the Wii U back in 2013, Modern Warfare 4 has certainly been worth the wait. This Switch 2 edition arrives day and date alongside its PlayStation and Xbox counterparts, offering a feature-complete package. Squeezed into an 88GB installation size compared to the 120GB footprint on PS5, it retains the core IW Engine feature set, albeit adjusted in quality to suit the capabilities of Nintendo's handheld hardware. Crucially, the release retains the brand new ray-marched smoke, real-time weather simulation and updated global illumination techniques seen across other modern platforms.

Naturally, bringing a modern multiplatform title to hybrid hardware requires specific compromises. The single-player campaign targets 30fps rather than the customary 60fps found on other consoles, for example, yet competitive multiplayer remains 60fps to leave Switch 2 players on level footing with rival platforms. Meanwhile, the open-ended DMZ extraction mode targets 40fps for users connecting their console to a 120Hz display. While cutbacks exist, players ultimately receive the full suite of modes and content on portable Nintendo hardware.

Starting with the campaign, initial pre-rendered video sequences disguise background loading, though these files exhibit occasional hitching while handling background assets. This issue is present across other current-gen platforms as well, rather than being an isolated Switch 2 quirk. Once gameplay starts, performance remains solid, without stutters or slow-down during core campaign beats. Key visual features translate effectively to the system, including dynamic interactive smoke, fully destructible glass, wall-projected video elements and high NPC densities in busy city environments.

Image quality relies on two anti-aliasing choices: standard SMAA options or Nvidia's customised DLSS upscaler. When docked, the game runs at a dynamic resolution targeting 900p with DLSS, occasionally dipping to 450p during heavy visual sequences like the Paris vehicle chase. Native SMAA modes match this range while scaling up to a 1080p target. Handheld mode scales down to a dynamic 720p baseline with dips to 360p under intense rendering loads, maintaining identical feature settings to docked play outside of output resolution.

Evaluating the upscaling options highlights distinct tradeoffs. DLSS handles thin elements and moving transparent surfaces far better, significantly reducing the visual noise and flickering seen on glass or particle embers under SMAA T2X. The compromise with DLSS is a slightly softer overall presentation when viewing static scenes, whereas SMAA retains finer foliage and structural detail at the expense of added visual artefacts. In multiplayer modes, an alternate SMAA NX variant is available alongside DLSS, allowing players to prioritise edge clarity or image stability according to their preference.

Comparing visual settings against rival platforms demonstrates where specific adjustments were made. Core mechanics, physics and character animations match the experience on PS5 and Xbox Series systems. However, lower-res textures appear up close, bump mapping is reduced and screen-space reflections are removed entirely - the latter of which is also true on Series S. Shadow quality is also lowered, displaying clearer level-of-detail transitions at short distances. Interestingly, while campaign character self-shadowing is removed, shadow rendering is fully restored in multiplayer to preserve competitive visibility.

Campaign performance remains locked at 30fps across the vast majority of missions, providing a consistent experience overall. Traversal hitches occur during fast-paced driving sequences, but other general gameplay avoids severe drops. Connected 120Hz displays enable a stable 40fps target in DMZ mode, delivering improved fluidity that sits at the millisecond midpoint between 30fps and 60fps. The primary trade-off with lower frame-rates is increased input latency, making fine aiming, driving mechanics and quick-time sequence reactions feel more sluggish compared to 60fps modes on other platforms.

In competitive 6v6 multiplayer, Switch 2 aims for 60fps to keep play balanced against external competition. Performance generally holds near enough this mark, though busy firefights, dense smoke or even looking through the transparent visor of a riot shield can cause frame drops into the 50s or high 40s. Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support helps smooth out these drops on supported displays, though portable play exhibits more frequent performance dips outside VRR range.

In general, responsiveness here simply isn't as good as on other consoles, and Switch 2 players face a competitive disadvantage as a result of the added input lag - especially in portable mode. We measured this in multiplayer at 81ms in docked mode and 100ms in portable mode, though the latter varied substantially and ranged from 83ms at best to 125ms at worst. PS5 input latency at 60Hz? Just 49ms. That means input latency on Switch 2 is 64 percent higher docked and doubled (!) in portable mode, moving from "not great but fine" to "actually deleterious to performance". This testing was performed with the Switch 2 Pro Controller and Sony DualSense, both wireless as most players use them.

Overall, the Switch 2 release of Modern Warfare 4 represents an impressive technical conversion for porting specialists Digital Legends and COD devs Infinity Ward. Preserving the complete engine feature set alongside cross-platform multiplayer across all modes is a notable achievement for a handheld console. While lower frame-rate targets, higher input latency and resolution drops present clear limitations, the game still represents a complete Call of Duty experience that's well tailored to Nintendo hardware.