Switch 2 TV mode vs handheld: resolution and FPS explained

By Daniel del Moral Hernández · Updated October 7, 2026

The Switch 2 sets the limits, but each game decides how close it gets to them.

What the hardware allows

What games actually do

Most games run at a higher resolution in TV mode and a lower one in handheld mode, and many keep the same frame rate in both. Some examples from our data:

• Mario Kart World: 1440p in TV mode and 1080p in handheld mode, 60 FPS in both.
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has two presets. Quality runs at 4K and 60 FPS on a TV, and Performance runs at 1080p and 120 FPS.
• Hades II runs at 120 FPS in TV mode but 60 FPS in handheld mode.

Many games use dynamic resolution: the resolution drops for a moment in busy scenes to keep the frame rate steady. Game pages show a range when that happens, for example “648p–1080p (dynamic)”.

Find games by frame rate

• Switch 2 games that run at 60 FPS
• Switch 2 games that run at 120 FPS

Performance figures come from official announcements and independent technical analyses. Every game page links to the source it uses.

What the data shows

GameSpecsDB has sourced performance figures for 57 Switch 2 games, collected from official announcements and independent technical analyses, and 55 of them include a frame rate. In October 2026, the best mode of each of those games breaks down like this:

Two patterns stand out:

• Most games keep the same frame rate in both modes. Of the games with separate TV and handheld figures, all but one run at the same frame rate docked and handheld. Hades II is the exception, with 120 FPS on the TV and 60 FPS handheld. What usually changes between modes is the resolution.
• Big third-party ports tend to run at 30 FPS. Games such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows, EA SPORTS FC 26 and Monster Hunter Stories 3 target 30 FPS, while many Nintendo games and smaller titles hit 60.

Internal resolution vs output resolution

Many Switch 2 games render the image at a lower resolution and then upscale it, often with NVIDIA’s DLSS. That is why a game page can say “1080p output (about 540p internal)”. The output resolution is what your TV receives; the internal resolution tells you how much detail the game actually draws. Two games that both output 1080p can look very different if one renders at 900p and the other at 540p.

Some examples from our data:

• Resident Evil Requiem renders at about 540p on the TV and about 360p handheld, upscaled with DLSS.
• Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave renders at 720p docked and 540p handheld and upscales to 1440p and 1080p.
• Super Mario Odyssey, with its free Switch 2 update, runs at 1800p on the TV and 1080p handheld at 60 FPS.

Frame generation

A few Switch 2 games use frame generation to look smoother than they run. Stellar Blade renders at 30 FPS and uses FSR 3.1 frame interpolation to show 60, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers an optional frame generation setting. It makes motion look smoother, but it can add ghosting around moving objects and does not make the controls respond faster. Where a game uses it, the game page says so.

Graphics modes

Some games let you choose between a Quality mode (higher resolution) and a Performance mode (higher frame rate). Digimon Story Time Stranger, Persona 3 Reload and Metroid Prime 4 are examples. As a rule of thumb, Performance mode is the better choice for action games, platformers and racing games, where timing matters, and Quality mode suits slower games where you look at the scenery.

Which mode should you play in?

• Play docked if the game has a big resolution gap between modes or a Performance mode that only works on the TV, like Persona 3 Reload.
• Play handheld if a game struggles on the TV. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for example, holds up better in handheld mode thanks to VRR, and Brigandine Abyss slows down less handheld.
• If both modes run the same, choose whatever suits you: the experience is close.

Sources: Nintendo Switch 2 hardware (Wikipedia), Digital Foundry on Mario Kart World, via Nintendo Life, Metroid Prime 4 display modes, Hades II on Switch 2.