Do you know the feeling you get when you pick up a huge, epic open-world game, just can’t wait to play it, and then everyday life barges in? Hours just dwindle away, and the game just sits there. For me, one of those games is Star Wars Outlaws.

I started playing it on Xbox, got a few hours into the thing, and then… well, you know how life is. So, when I heard that the adventure was coming to the Switch 2, I was overjoyed. The ability to take Kay Vess’s adventure with me, while I’m waiting in hospitals or appointments, picking off bounties on a lunch break, or exploring new planets in the comfort of my own bed, is something really appealing.

It seemed to be an impossible task, but Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment stepped up to the challenge, helping gamers like me who don’t have the time for just console play also have access to portability.  What they have delivered is not just a straightforward port, but also added extras thanks to the Switch 2’s hardware.

To check out our more in-depth review of Star Wars Outlaws on the Xbox Series X, head HERE. Now, let’s get into the Switch 2 version.

Visually, the game is looking great on the hardware. It doesn’t run at the ultra-smooth 60fps you’d get from its bigger console brothers; it locks in at a rock-stable 30fps, yet feels very polished. The developers added some superb motion blur to make those 30 frames feel significantly smoother, even during chaotic speeder chases or intense gunfights. It’s amazing to think that a game so wiehgty is still so nimble.

Of course, it’s not perfect, and some things had to be compromised. The character models, when viewed up close or in cutscenes, are less detailed than those on other consoles and also exhibit a slight point of character model pop-in.

Notably, last year’s updates removed the criticised forced stealth fails, so now if you blow a sneaky approach, it transitions into combat instead of a hard fail, which dramatically improves the pacing on the Switch 2.

But what really makes this version special are the new additions. And let’s talk about the motion controls, because they are a game-changer. One example, you’re in a firefight, and instead of just relying on the joystick to make tiny adjustments, you can just subtly flick the Joy-Con itself to fine-tune your aim. It’s so intuitive and precise that it makes a huge difference, especially in handheld mode. And they didn’t stop there. You can also use the touchscreen to navigate menus or interact with certain elements, which is a little quality-of-life feature that makes everything feel that much more streamlined.

The Switch 2 storefront highlights a Gold Edition bundling the Season Passes, Wild Card, and A Pirate’s Fortune DLC, plus cosmetic packs (Jabba’s Gambit, Kessel Runner, etc.). Post-launch on other platforms brought meaningful story arcs (including a Lando-fronted chapter) and systemic fixes, and that same cadence underpins the Switch 2 release.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that if you prefer a physical copy, it’s only packaged as the controversial “Game Key Card,” which results in a significantly large download file size. This doesn’t bode well for collectors, but it’s a necessary evil to make sure the game loads as quickly as it does. But for someone like me, that’s only a minor issue considering what they’ve managed to cram in for the portable console.

Despite the minor shortcomings, my anticipation to finally complete Star Wars Outlaws has only grown, especially now that the game is playable on the Nintendo Switch 2. The ability to dive back into the adventure anytime, anywhere, is a game-changer for me. I look forward to exploring every corner of this galaxy, engaging in epic encounters, and ultimately uncovering the full depth of the story, even in a galaxy far, far away, thanks to the handheld power of Nintendo Switch 2.

Written by: Bradley Thorsen