Ever since Sega dropped out of making consoles and switched to third-party publishing,Sonicgames have always been found on Nintendo devices, one way or another. There have beenmore Nintendo-basedSonicexclusivesthan there have been on any other console, and Sega seems to be aware that Nintendo fans are a prominent part of its market. However, that stubbornness may lead to some frustration withSonic Frontiersin the future.
Sonic Frontierswas revealed formally at the Game Awards at the end of last year, surprising fans with the open-zone direction that the new game was taking. Even though the footage shown was meant to give fans a look at the world even as it was still in development, what Sonic Team chose to show was already massively impressive. In a recent interview, the head of Sonic Team, Takashi Iizuka, revealed thatFrontiersis focusing on next-gen consoles first during development. While that helps explain why the visuals are fantastic thus far, this leads to some concern with the Switch version ofFrontiers.
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The History of Sonic Games on Switch
Currently, the Nintendo Switch has three modern-era Sonic games on it. These would be 2017’sSonic Forces,2019’sTeam Sonic Racing, and 2021’sSonic Colors: Ultimate. The three games offer a good experience with the blue hedgehog and his friends at home, or on the go, with the help of the Switch’s abilities as a hybrid console. As much as they’ve left many fans with good memories, it can be seen with how these games run on Nintendo’s current hardware that the Switch versions have lacked behind the others for quite some time.
Sonic Forcesis most infamously known for its mixed and mostly negative reception with fans. The game saw Modern andClassic Sonic team up once again afterGenerationsas part of the resistance, as Dr. Eggman had finally succeeded in taking over the world. Alongside them was the player’s own customizable character, who even played a part in the story and gameplay at large. The game saw a day-one patch to reduce the difficulty and remove some last-minute glitches after launch.
However, the day one patch only mitigated some lingering issues for those playing on Switch. Without any prior notice to those looking forward to the title, the Switch version ran at 30 FPS while the other versions ran at 60 FPS. Some levels on the Switch version seemed perfectly fine when it came to detail with graphics, whereas more detailed levels went without proper polish, and many fans reported unstable frame rates during important boss battles. Overall, many fans went on to considerthe Switch version ofForcesthe worst one out of the bunch, and unfortunately, this trend would only continue.
Going Forward with Sonic Colors: Ultimate
The most recent Sonic game on the Switch didn’t fare much better.Sonic Colors: Ultimatewas released on July 26, 2025. The title was a remaster ofSonic Colors, one of the most fondly remembered and critically praised games from Sonic Team to date, that was left exclusively on the Wii until now.Colors: Ultimatewas looked forward to by many fans, as it touted upscaled HD graphics, 60 FPS, and improved lighting.
Compared toForces’silence on the matter,Sonic Colors: Ultimatewas transparent about its specs. A trailer from Nintendo specifically revealed that the remaster on Switch would run at a slower frame rate than the other versions of the game. Once again,Sonicfans playing on Nintendo hardwarewere given 30 FPS gameplay, with downgraded lighting and incredibly long loading times that made some fans question how a Wii game ran so badly on a more recent device. The Switch version was even missing charming add-ons that made the game special, like a final boss ending firework, that needed to be added back in through patches.
WithForcesandColors: Ultimatebeing the only recent 3D Sonic games on the Switch, this sets a concerning precedent forSonic Frontiers’Switch version right away. What doesn’t help matters is evenTeam Sonic Racingwas adjusted to fit the Switch, completely lacking the opening animation to the game. This track record, along with Iizuka’s words on the matter, seems to pointtowardsFrontiers’Switch versionbeing lackluster compared to the rest.
There is a chance that the situation may be different if the Switch version was kept in mind at the start of development, though.Sonic Frontierswas most likely always meant to be a Switch title from the start, considering the demand forSonicgames on it in particular. Even if there may be some graphical or frame rate sacrifices, what’s most important is that players have a smooth and fun time with the game with no issues or difficult bugs. No matter how the Switch version turns out, though, it seems thatthe best experience forSonic Frontierswill be found on Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.
Sonic Frontiersis scheduled to release holiday 2022.
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