Resident Evil 4 Switch 2 Reviews: Scores, Gyro, Frame Rate

Update, November 1: Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition has been on sale on Switch 2 since October 16, and Digital Foundry has since published its analysis (October 15), added below. Metacritic's Switch 2 page still shows a Metascore of 90, now with more than the six reviews tallied here. The scores and outlet readings below are the launch-eve ones, from the review embargo that lifted on October 13.

On launch eve (October 14), Metacritic showed a Metascore of 90 from six critic reviews, and all six were positive. The surprise in them is a feature WorthPlaying's September hands-on told readers not to expect: gyro aiming. The caveat is the image. Two outlets put the docked resolution at 540p and about 576p before DLSS upscales it to 1080p, Nintenduo and Gamewatcher both report the frame rate dipping into the 50s, and Digital Foundry measured 540p docked and 360p handheld, with docked frame rates falling to the 40s and 50s in heavy combat.

This roundup covers the six scored reviews, three technical write-ups from the same week (ReSpec, Gamewatcher and FRVR), and Qualbert's preview of the Tokyo Game Show demo, published October 12. None of those pieces is a frame-counted analysis, so read their figures as each outlet's reading of pre-launch code; Digital Foundry's measured numbers get their own section below.

Six reviews, six positive scores

On launch eve, the Switch 2 version's 90 sat three points under the 93 the 2023 remake holds on PS5 across more than 120 critic reviews. Six reviews was a small sample, and Metacritic's page now lists more.

The praise is for the game more than the port. Nintendo Life calls it the gold standard for modern remakes, and Nintendo World Report's one listed con is that the 2005 original is tighter. The port-specific notes are what the rest of this post covers.

Gyro aiming made the final build

In September, WorthPlaying's hands-on told readers these would be straight ports and not to expect motion controls. The review build has them. Seven of the outlets in this roundup say so:

• Nintendo Life lists "Gyro aiming, yay!" among its pros.
• Cubed3 calls the gyro controls a welcome addition.
• ReSpec found the motion controls great.
• Gamewatcher says they are worth a try.
• Qualbert lists gyro aiming among the options in the Tokyo Game Show demo it played.
• Nintenduo and FRVR describe how the toggle works, below.

Gyro is also what separates RE4 from the two remakes launching beside it. Nintendo Life, ReSpec, Gamewatcher and FRVR all say Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 ship on Switch 2 without motion controls, and ReSpec counts that among those two ports' biggest disappointments.

An on-off switch with no settings

What you get is a toggle, not a tuning menu:

• No customisation. Nintenduo says you can switch gyro on but cannot adjust it in any way.
• Vertical only, per FRVR. FRVR reports that gyro handles vertical aim only, and that switching it on turns off vertical aiming on the right stick. It called the implementation "so bad" it almost wished Capcom hadn't bothered. No other outlet in this roundup describes the vertical-only limit, so treat it as one report.
• No mouse mode. Cubed3, ReSpec, Nintenduo and Gamewatcher all note that there is no Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming mode. Cubed3 calls that a shame.

So the reviewers split on quality, not on whether it exists. Nintendo Life, Cubed3 and ReSpec liked it; Nintenduo was let down by the missing settings, and FRVR disliked it outright. Finger Guns, which doesn't mention gyro at all, makes the case for trying it from the other side. It found quick headshots hard with the small Joy-Con 2 stick and says the bent thumb can start to ache, which attaching the Joy-Cons to a grip largely fixed. If the stick bothers you, flip gyro on early in a quiet stretch and see which description matches your hands.

Resolution and frame rate, outlet by outlet

Two outlets published a docked resolution figure, and they disagree slightly. Here is everything the reviews and write-ups reported:

Read together, the picture is consistent even where the numbers aren't:

• The target is 60fps, and it gets there much of the time. Nintendo Life and Nintendo World Report describe it as steady. Nintenduo, Gamewatcher and FRVR all saw it dip below 60, and FRVR saw the most fluctuation.
• The opening village and forest are the hardest stretch. FRVR names them as the worst for frame rate and the castle interiors as the steadiest.
• The internal resolution is low. 540p and 576p are both about half of 1080p's height before DLSS rebuilds the image. Digital Foundry measured Resident Evil Requiem's Switch 2 port at 540p docked, so on these two counts RE4 sits in the same range as the newest Resident Evil on the same hardware.
• RE4 is the heaviest of the three October ports. Nintendo Life, Loot Level Chill, Gamewatcher and FRVR all rank its performance below RE2 and RE3.

What Digital Foundry measured

Digital Foundry's analysis of the Switch 2 port (October 15) supplies the counted figures the reviews lacked:

Its verdict is that the port is closer to the PS4 version than the PS5 one, with better texture detail than PS4. Coverage of the analysis lists cuts versus PS5: no screen-space reflections, reduced shadows, softer volumetric lighting and less dense foliage, with drops to the mid-40s in the opening village fight. It asks for 30fps and 40fps cap options, which fits Qualbert's and FRVR's missing-cap complaints. Its 540p docked figure matches Nintenduo; Nintendo World Report's about 576p is the outlier.

Where the image gives

The visual complaints cluster in four places:

The scope note is the one that changes how you play. The Resident Evil Wiki calls the Biosensor Scope vital against Regeneradores and Novistadors, because it reveals their weak points, and the best rifle guide covers which scope to mount. If FRVR is right about handheld, those fights are the ones to take docked. The Romantic costume is one of the outfits Nintendo's store listing includes in Gold Edition; the costumes guide covers it and the others.

Docked or handheld: the reviewers split

There is no consensus on which mode is better, and the disagreement is useful:

• Finger Guns favours docked. It calls docked play flawless and says it looks like the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases, though elsewhere it says Switch 2 itself may not quite compete with a Series X or a PS5 Pro. In handheld it found RE4 crisper and cleaner on the Switch 2 screen than RE2 and RE3, which it says have a haze.
• ReSpec favours handheld. It spent more of its time handheld, called that the real draw of the port, and says it may be its favourite portable version of the game.
• Nintendo World Report split its time evenly and found handheld lower resolution but almost as smooth.
• Gamewatcher says DLSS has a harder time in handheld, and FRVR says the internal resolution drops further there.
• Loot Level Chill rates it highest of all, and still says that if you don't need handheld play, you will have a better time on another platform.

The case for this version is portability. If you would only ever play it on a TV and already own it on PS5, Xbox Series X or a capable PC, these reviews don't make a case for buying it again. The platforms guide compares every version.

Options, rumble and load times

• No performance or quality mode, and no frame cap. FRVR found no way to prioritise performance or graphics or to set a frame-rate cap. Qualbert asks for a 30fps cap option for the same reason.
• Some image toggles are there. ReSpec says RE4 lets you turn off lens distortion and chromatic aberration, which RE3 on Switch 2 doesn't. Qualbert lists field of view and lens distortion among its video options.
• HDR and 5.1 surround. Qualbert says RE4 supports both, and lets you adjust the angles of the surround channels.
• HD Rumble splits opinion. ReSpec calls the rumble good. Nintenduo says it is almost always too strong and turned it off. FRVR says it is barely a step up from standard vibration.
• Loading is quick. Nintendo World Report and Nintenduo both list short load times as a plus.
• Storage. Nintendo's store lists a 26.9 GB download. Gamewatcher puts RE4 at 29 GB, so leave room for the larger figure.

The bundled modes are in the review build. Nintendo Life, Finger Guns, Cubed3 and Nintenduo all mention both Ada's Separate Ways campaign and The Mercenaries, and Nintendo World Report reviews Separate Ways.

What the reviews have not settled

• Digital Foundry has now weighed in. Its October 15 analysis is covered above. The hands-on preview roundup collects what the press saw at Tokyo Game Show before any of this was measured.
• The review pixel counts disagreed. 540p against about 576p docked; Digital Foundry's count settles on 540p docked and 360p handheld.
• No version number. Nintendo Life names only the region of the copy it reviewed (North American), not a software version, so launch-day performance could differ from what the reviewers measured.
• Launch-eve scores. The six scores in the table are the October 13 embargo set; later reviews are not tallied here.

Price and dates as listed at the time of writing: $39.99 at the 20% early-adopter discount until November 7, then $49.99. Capcom's UK and Asia pages list a physical release on January 29, 2027; its US page lists only the digital version. The Switch 2 release date guide has the details.

Should you buy it on Switch 2?

• Yes, if you want Resident Evil 4 portable. All six scored reviews land at 8/10 or higher, Gold Edition includes Separate Ways and The Mercenaries, and it is the only one of Capcom's three October Switch 2 remakes with gyro aiming.
• Probably not, if you already own it and play on a TV. Loot Level Chill, the highest scorer, says the home console versions are technically better, and even Finger Guns, the most positive on docked play, says Switch 2 may not quite compete with a Series X or PS5 Pro.
• Mind the dips if frame rate matters to you. Digital Foundry counted docked frame rates falling to the 40s and 50s in heavy combat and 40 to 50fps handheld; Gamewatcher, FRVR and Nintenduo also saw it fall below 60fps, and the early village is where FRVR saw the most fluctuation.

Quick Action Checklist

• Metascore 90 from six reviews (launch eve, October 14, 2026), all positive; scores range from Cubed3's 8/10 to Loot Level Chill's 10.
• Gyro aiming is in, unlike RE2 and RE3 on Switch 2. It is an on-off toggle with no sensitivity settings, and FRVR says it covers vertical aim only.
• No mouse aiming mode. Four outlets confirm it.
• Docked resolution: 540p (Nintenduo) or about 576p (Nintendo World Report) before DLSS upscales to 1080p. Digital Foundry counted 540p docked and 360p handheld.
• Frame rate targets 60fps and dips into the 50s (Digital Foundry: 40s and 50s in heavy combat docked, 40 to 50fps handheld); FRVR found the village and forest the worst stretches and the castle the steadiest.
• Take scoped fights docked if you can. FRVR says the rifle scope halves the resolution, which is hardest to read in handheld.
• Check HD Rumble early. One reviewer found it too strong and turned it off.
• Leave about 29 GB free, against Nintendo's listed 26.9 GB download.
• Digital Foundry's verdict: closer to the PS4 version than the PS5 one. If performance decides your purchase, read its analysis.