Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition review: this intergalactic adventure shines on Nintendo Switch 2
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Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition is an excellent version of the open-world Star Wars game from 2024. It performs incredibly well overall, with a frame rate that rarely drops below its target of 30 frames per second (fps), while also boasting impressive ray tracing effects. This may be the best Nintendo Switch 2 port we’ve seen to date, especially since the original version sometimes stuttered on more powerful hardware like the PlayStation 5.
Exam Information
Revised platform: Nintendo Switch2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Release date: September 4, 2025 (Nintendo Switch 2)
This means you get the full season pass with two substantial new story chapters that take around 10 hours in total to complete. Loads of cosmetics for protagonist Kay Vess and her companion Nix are also included, as well as the short pre-order bonus, Jabba’s Gambit mission.
While I might lament the fact that the Ultimate Pack’s handful of cosmetics haven’t been added as well (although they can still be purchased separately through the eShop if you want them), it’s still an incredible amount of content that encompasses every major DLC addition since launch.
It’s an easy sale at the asking price of $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$89.95 (or even less on sale) when you consider that the Gold edition costs $109.99 / £104.99 / AU$169.95 on other platforms.
I find your lack of faith… disturbing
Everything we loved about our original Star Wars Outlaws the criticism rings true for this newer version.
If you’re a fan of the Star Wars universe, then you’ll love the unrivaled fidelity of this adaptation. As an intergalactic thug forced on the run after a heist gone wrong, you explore a series of large open-world planets while gradually building a crew and navigating your relationships with some of the galaxy’s most notorious criminal clans.
Set between The Empire Strikes Back And Return of the Jedi films, familiar locations like the desert plains of Tatooine are wonderfully depicted and presented seamlessly alongside new additions like the sandy moon of Toshara or the dense jungle of Akiva.
Best song
The five planets of Star Wars Outlaws are all a fan’s dream. It includes the perfect mix of nostalgic favorites like Tatooine as well as more interesting and beautiful inclusions like the snowy world of Kijimi.
Wherever you explore, it looks great on Nintendo Switch 2, especially in handheld mode. On the console’s 1080p screen, the image appears delightfully sharp, and while the quality of the 3D models takes a slight hit, the overall experience is roughly comparable to that of an Xbox Series S, which is a very impressive result.
In some ways, it looks better here than on the Series S, with improved ray tracing effects in indoor environments. Walking around the densely populated town of Mirogana at the start of the game, the lighting effects appear rich and complex. Locations are designed with a high level of detail throughout the game, and I’m glad that the fun of stopping every now and then to take it all in and examine every little element of a space wasn’t lost when switching to less talented hardware.
However, things go a little less smoothly when the system is connected. While playing on a 4K TV, I noticed that the scaling was used very liberally, making some areas look quite blurry. For example, places where there are a lot of plants tend to look rather blurry and Kay’s hair suffers from visible aliasing. Pop-in in the open world also becomes more visible in docked mode. When you zoom with your speeder, you will regularly see small bushes or shadows appear in the distance – but you get used to them very quickly.
More powerful than you could imagine
If you have experienced Star Wars Outlaws on another platform, you’ll also need to acclimate to the frame rate when you upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 version. It’s locked to 30fps here, a change that was especially noticeable when I compared the game with its PS5 port side-by-side.
However, when you actually play, this is less obvious, and the developers at Massive Entertainment deserve some serious credit when it comes to the quality of their game. Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition maintains this frame rate goal.
Stutters are extremely rare, and I only noticed them starting to appear during very intense action moments with multiple explosions, many enemies on screen, moving vehicles, etc., all at the same time. It’s important to note that the experience is never rendered unplayable, and I think a few hiccups are a nice trade-off for having the ability to dip in and out of this game on the go.
I played Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition sporadically since its launch in September, and I initially encountered a few unexpected crashes during longer gaming sessions. Over time, these issues appear to have been ironed out through various patches, so those jumping in today can expect a relatively flawless experience.
With all that said, Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition makes for an easy recommendation as one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games. If you’ve played it before, it’s a pleasure to relive the experience in handheld mode with all the new DLC included. If you’re a newcomer, you don’t have to worry about having a compromised experience due to your choice of hardware.
Should I play Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition on Nintendo Switch 2?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility Features
Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition features a dedicated accessibility menu on Nintendo Switch 2 with a number of useful settings and presets.
By default, the HUD was scaled up to 150% in handheld mode, with large text size enabled.
There are also four menus designed to meet gameplay, cognitive, color, vision and hearing needs. Color settings can be fully customized and there are a range of difficulty options.
How I Reviewed Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition on Nintendo Switch 2
I played almost 15 hours of Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, constantly comparing my experience of the game with that of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S versions.
I mainly played in the console’s handheld mode, but I also made an effort to spend a few hours in docked mode to evaluate its performance.
Of the two modes, handheld mode is definitely the more powerful, as the smaller screen mitigates most visual reductions well. Playing in docked mode, I relied on the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller.
First revision in January 2026
