After being officially/unofficially confirmed via a banner at PAX West this weekend, Arc System Works has now announced that Guilty Gear -Strive- is indeed heading to Nintendo Switch in the future. A brand-new trailer for the game, which utilizes in-game footage from the Switch port, was uploaded to YouTube and gave us a solid idea of what to expect from this belated port.
First, the game will be released on January 23, 2025, for Nintendo’s hybrid console. That puts it firmly as a Switch 1 game, especially since rumors on the Switch 2 suggest a release after April 2025. Secondly, -Strive- Nintendo Switch Edition will include all currently released DLC and balance updates and both story modes. The upcoming season four will not be included as most of those characters will not be available by the time this launches. Some of the other features in this trailer, such as Digital Figure mode, will be added to the game via a post-launch update.
There is no mention of cross-platform multiplayer support, though that makes sense. While Guilty Gear -Strive- has some legendary rollback netcode that makes playing on the worst connections seem decent, the Switch is a considerably weaker console than even the PS4. There would need to be a tremendous amount of concessions given to Switch players to stay competitive against other players. Still, rollback for Switch players will mean that even Nintendo’s lackluster online infrastructure shouldn’t prevent this from feeling solid.
While the trailer is not representative of the final code, it looks as if Guilty Gear -Strive- runs perfectly fine on Nintendo’s console. That’s good news as it means this version could become a great way to practice your combos and characters before tournaments, not to mention it makes it easy to bring to a friend’s house.
Leave a Comment
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
