How to Improve the Performance of Your Nintendo Switch: 7 Tips 🚀🔧

The Nintendo Switch can't compare in power to other modern home consoles, but there are several ways to enjoy smoother gameplay, faster loading times, and longer battery life on this hybrid portable console. 🎮⚡️

1 . Using “Accelerated Mode”

The name “Accelerated Mode” can be a little confusing; it is actually a feature that is always on and affects certain games, without you being able to control it, but it does Improve CPU and GPU speed. Remember, this only applies to specific games. 🚀

A Digital Foundry test made when it was first released, noted that great first-party titles, such as Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, showed notable improvements in performance and loading times. Third-party games like Mortal Kombat 11 also benefited from this feature. Although Accelerated Mode was not mentioned by name, Fortnite It received its own update at the time to improve performance.

To take full advantage of Accelerated Mode, simply play titles that support it. You don't need to enable any special settings. As long as your Switch is updated to at least firmware version 8.0 or later, you're already in the race.

If your Switch has been updated within the last two years and has internet access, you're ready to enjoy the Mode Accelerated whenever a game requires it.

To check, start from the home screen and open System Settings > System > System Update. If the “Current Version” listed under “System Update” is at least 8.0, you’re good to go. ✅

If not, select “System Update” and follow the instructions to update your Switch’s firmware.

2 . Check In-Game Performance Settings

Several games over the years have included their own graphics and performance settings that can be adjusted to favor fidelity or performance modes. 🎨

Look for something like “Graphics” or “Performance” in the settings and see what options are available. For example, games like Ziggurat II have a video setting that lets you choose between “Performance” (everything runs smoother) or “Quality” (more prominent textures and lighting).

Warframe offers a more complex set of options that allow you to fine-tune the complexity of particle effects. You can also disable individual graphical elements, such as character shadows and motion blur, for smoother gameplay.

On the other hand, although No Man's Sky does not offer a Performance Mode setting, it allows you to enable or disable Base Complexity Limits to avoid problems when visiting a large base.

Unfortunately, not all Nintendo Switch games on the market offer these options. The best way to check is to launch a game and explore the options.

3 . Rearrange Your Games

It may not be apparent from the start, but the medium you store your Switch games on influences loading times. This generally doesn't impact the game performance unless you're playing a "no loading" title (where the game is disguised by opening doors, moving elevators, etc.), but long loading times can impact the gameplay experience. ⏳

As far as loading times go, the Switch's internal storage is the fastest option. Faster than your average microSD card, even faster than games running from a cartridge. So if you want a game to load as quickly as possible, make sure you have it installed on the internal flash storage.

This approach largely depends on what games you own digitally, how big they are, and how much free space is left on the Switch's internal storage.

To check your available storage space, open “System Settings” from the home screen, then scroll down and select “Data Management.” “System Storage” is for internal storage, and “microSD Card” is for an installed memory card (if you use one).

Compare the available space to a game’s file size to get an idea of whether it will fit. In the eShop, select the game, scroll down to “Software Details,” and look for “Space Required.” If the game is already on your Switch but stored on a microSD card, you can transfer it to the internal storage.

From the Home screen, open System Settings > Data Management and choose “Manage Software” to see all your installed games and their file sizes, as well as where they are installed and how much space is still available.

To transfer games to internal memory, go back to “Data Management” and select “Move Data between System/microSD card”, then choose “Move to System Memory”.

Select the game you want to move from the list, then select the “Move Data” button in the bottom left corner and wait for the transfer to complete. If there is not enough space available in the System Memory, you will need to transfer games to the microSD card or delete them from the System Memory to make more space.

Please note that storing too many games in System Memory can also slow down their loading times, so try to keep less-played titles on a cartridge or microSD card. 🔄

4 . Get a Class A2 microSD Card

The problem of rely on System Memory to help with loading times is that there isn't a lot of space. So adding a microSD card to expand the space available for your digital games makes a lot of sense. 🗃️

Where this can become a problem is when you get the “wrong type” of microSD card, which can slow down your Switch.

To be clear: as long as the microSD card be compatible with your Switch, there is no problem using it. You might just experience noticeably slower loading times for games saved on the card. However, microSD cards rated A2 offer the fastest loading speeds after internal storage.

It's not that you should rush out and buy an A2-rated card, especially if you already have a microSD for your Switch, but it is something to keep in mind the next time you're looking for or planning to upgrade to a card with more storage space in the future.

To install a new, compatible microSD card, first power off your Switch, flip the console over, and then open the small cover in the bottom left corner. On a Switch Lite, the cover is located on the back, in the bottom right corner.

Insert the card into the revealed slot with the text facing up and the copper-colored pins (visible on the back of the card) facing into the Switch. Press until you hear a soft click. Close the lid and turn the Switch back on.

If the card was already formatted for the Switch, you won’t need to do anything else. If it hasn’t been formatted yet, open “System Settings” from the home screen and select “System.”

Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select “Format Options,” then select “Format microSD Card.” Choose “Continue” when prompted, then “Format.” Wait for the formatting process to complete and for the console to reboot.

5 . Adjust your Resolution Settings

The resolution for your Switch's display in handheld mode depends on the game you're playing and whether you're using a regular Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED.

However, you can manually adjust the system settings for better resolutions when connected to a TV. Although it's important to note that only the Switch and Switch OLED support TV connections, while the Switch Lite does not. 📺

Connect your Switch to your TV, either via the dock or HDMI. From the home screen, open “System Settings” and then scroll down to “TV Settings.”

Select “TV Resolution,” then choose the highest resolution option your TV supports—choices include 480p, 720p, and 1080p.

6 . Beware of Overheating

Heat can have a quite noticeable impact on performance of a console, as high temperatures can lead to several issues such as decreased frame rates, delayed control inputs (or their appearance), and even physical damage to the device itself.

There are no settings you can tweak to improve your Switch's ability to dissipate heat. However, it's best to avoid blocking any air intakes on the back or the vent on the top of the system, whether it's on and running or in sleep mode.

So avoid covering the Switch when it's docked, and don't put it on a blanket or pad when you're using it, as these softer materials could "squeeze" together enough to block or suffocate the air intakes.

If you must place the Switch's center console (the part with the screen) on a different surface, either set it down on something flat like a table or counter, or flip out the little stand on the back that also doubles as the microSD card cover and prop it up.

Nintendo also recommends not using your Switch in high temperature situations (over 95ºF or 35ºC).

7 . Disable HD Rumble and Wi-Fi

This option may sound a little odd, but virtually every function on the Switch impacts battery life. Running games, browsing the eShop, maintaining a constant Wi-Fi connection, and yes, even the Joy-Con’s HD Rumble. If you want to get the most out of your Switch in handheld mode, consider disabling the rumble feature.

From the home screen, open “System Settings” and scroll down to “Controls & Sensors,” then highlight “Controller Vibration” and select it to turn it off. deactivate (or activate) the function.

Unfortunately, there's no option to disable vibration in handheld mode alone, so if you want to turn vibration back on when playing on a TV, you'll need to go back into your Switch's settings and manually turn it back on.

To disable the Switch’s always-on Wi-Fi, open “System Settings” and highlight “Airplane Mode.” Then select “Airplane Mode” from the menu to turn it on—and thus disable Wi-Fi.

Individual connections can remain active once Airplane Mode is active. However, scroll down and select “Bluetooth,” “Wi-Fi,” or “NFC” to keep them on. Airplane ModeIf you plan to use Airplane Mode with wireless controllers, make sure to turn on Bluetooth, otherwise the wireless connection will not work.

There is no way to increase performance from a Switch on par with a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series console due to hardware limitations; even modding a Switch doesn't quite match it and can also risk damaging the system. However, you can still get a little more out of it when you know which settings to change. 😊