The curious case of the missing Nintendo Switch port of Genshin Impact is still lingering, and players on the game's subreddit remain baffled by its mysterious disappearance. Where is it? What happened?
Before diving into MiHoYo’s radio silence, let’s take a look back at the original announcement trailer in 2020, five years ago now. It was the kind of announcement that just felt right. Many players had long hoped to play MiHoYo’s acclaimed gacha game on a hybrid console like the Switch.
Fans were ecstatic to see it coming to the platform, and plenty of players looked forward to migrating to a more compact model, especially since the Switch has always been a convenient console with its larger screen, decent battery life, and docked mode support.
Fast forward five years, and both MiHoYo and Nintendo have stayed completely silent on the matter. Fans are still wondering where their promised gacha game for the Switch went.
MiHoYo’s last update mentioned a delay due to hardware limitations, but not everyone buys that explanation. Many believe the Switch is more than capable of running the game. Still, some point out that even the PlayStation 4, which has far more powerful hardware than the original Switch, has had performance issues with Genshin Impact. So, how well could a lower-end device like the Switch really handle it?
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+ 2Storage is another issue. While the Switch does have internal memory, it’s only 32GB. That’s not enough for a massive game like Genshin Impact, which weighs in at around 35–40GB on mobile devices and over 100GB on PC and consoles. Sure, MicroSD cards exist, but that doesn’t change the fact that Genshin would take up significantly more space than most other titles on the system.
Many fans believe it’s a combination of both memory and hardware limitations that has left the game stuck in developer limbo. (Some say the Nintendo Switch 1 version is cancelled, but not officially yet.)
The Nintendo Switch 2 Potential
Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is shaping up to be a far more powerful system than the original, there’s a strong possibility that MiHoYo is already working on a version for the new console, quietly waiting for the right moment to announce it, possibly during an upcoming Direct in the next few weeks.
The Switch 2 is faster, more capable, and features a much larger internal memory at 256GB. It’s the perfect home for Genshin Impact, offering both docked and portable modes that make it an ideal choice for new and returning players alike.
click to enlarge+ 2It’s likely just a matter of time before MiHoYo reveals the Switch 2 version. Of course, there’s still a bit of "hopium" involved, especially since we don’t really know whether MiHoYo and Nintendo have maintained a strong working relationship over the past five years. But at the very least, Nintendo now has a more capable console where games like Genshin Impact can truly shine. And before long, we might also see other MiHoYo titles, like Zenless Zone Zero or Honkai: Star Rail, running smoothly on the Switch 2 as well.
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