While most players jumped into Mario titles on Nintendo’s new hardware, one of the first games tested on Switch 2 was Batman: Arkham Knight. This notorious port suffered on the original Switch, with low resolution, constant stuttering, and severe Batmobile-induced frame drops. So, how does it perform on the upgraded system?
The short answer: better performance, but visuals and crashes are still a problem.
Batmobile Still Breaks the Game on Switch 2
The original Switch port struggled mainly when using the Batmobile, where framerate would often tank to unplayable levels. On Switch 2, driving performance has slightly improved, with more consistent frame pacing and smoother transitions. However, the game still crashed—twice within 15 minutes. This included both on-foot and in-vehicle gameplay, suggesting deeper compatibility issues between the old software and new hardware.
Even worse, the crashes now sometimes hardlock the system before it finally displays the updated Switch 2 error message, which appears more severe than the previous generation’s standard crash screen.
Resolution and Visuals Are Still an Eyesore
One of the most disappointing aspects of Arkham Knight on Switch 2 is the lack of any meaningful resolution boost. In handheld mode, the visuals appear pixelated—possibly stuck at or below 540p. The larger screen on Switch 2 only emphasizes the problem, giving the impression of smeared textures and jagged edges.
Docked mode doesn’t fare much better. Despite improved performance, the resolution appears locked to a low base, with no sign of dynamic scaling responding to the more powerful hardware. Anti-aliasing is absent, and texture quality remains low across both modes. For a game that heavily marketed its environmental detail and the Batmobile experience, this visual degradation still undercuts the core experience.
Hardware-Driven Improvements Are Subtle (Batman Arkham Knight Switch 2)
Some minor improvements do stand out. Input latency has been reduced, likely due to the Switch 2’s higher refresh rate and enhanced internals. The camera feels slightly more responsive, even when the visuals remain dated. Load times also benefit marginally, though without a dedicated patch, these improvements only go so far.
Draw distance and pop-in behavior remain unchanged. In fact, because the framerate is smoother now, environmental pop-in becomes even more noticeable than before.
Despite the Switch 2’s stronger hardware, Arkham Knight remains stuck in its older limitations. Visuals lack clarity, crashes disrupt gameplay, and docked mode offers no real boost. While performance improves slightly, it’s not enough to outweigh the issues. Without a dedicated update, the game still feels unfinished on Nintendo’s latest console.
Needs a Patch, But May Never Get One
Frame rates have undeniably improved when compared to the original Switch version. However, these gains are countered by unresolved crash issues, locked resolution, and dated textures. Despite the Switch 2’s improved power, this port still feels like a missed opportunity—especially without a visual patch to unlock higher performance ceilings.
It’s unclear if Warner Brothers will ever update this title for Switch 2. Given the history with other problematic ports like Mortal Kombat 1, hopes aren’t high. For now, Arkham Knight on Switch 2 remains a technically smoother, but still deeply flawed version of a once-celebrated title.
