Every Nintendo Switch 2 game with ray tracing support in 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2 is capable of ray tracing, which makes lighting, shadows and reflections more lifelike
If you’re looking for every Nintendo Switch 2 game with ray tracing support in 2025, you’ve come to the right place. The Nintendo Switch 2 is considerably more powerful than its predecessor, and now supports cutting-edge graphical features like ray tracking, 120Hz refresh rates, VRR and HDR, neither of which were possible on the original Switch 1.
Nvidia confirmed in a blog post that the Switch 2’s new RT Cores “bring real-time ray tracing, delivering lifelike lighting reflections, and shadows for more immersive worlds.
However, ray tracing has – and continues to be – computational expensive. It puts a huge drain on system’s resources, often leading to a compromise when it comes to a game’s frame rate and resolution.
It’s why the vast majority of games still don’t include any ray tracing support, and it means we may only see a small selection of Nintendo Switch 2 games with ray tracing support in the future.
That’s not to say ray tracing isn’t worthwhile – there’s a reason Nintendo has included the capability in the Switch 2 after all. It’s just that ray tracing requires a lot of processing power and is not currently a priority for some developers to implement.
The way ray tracing is implemented also varies game to game. Sometimes a developer only chooses to include ray-traced shadows or reflections that have little impact on the overall look of a title.
It’s worth mentioning that the Nintendo Switch 2 is the first console to have ray tracing support from Nvidia, not AMD. AMD hasn’t been able to keep up with Nvidia’s ray tracing efforts, which could give the Switch 2 more of a boost than we thought. However, we’ll have to wait and see whether Switch 2 will reap the benefits.
To reiterate, then, ray tracing is very demanding on even the most capable hardware, so expect it to be use used sparingly during the Nintendo Switch 2’s lifecycle. It’s unlikely we’ll see as many PS5 games with ray tracing support or Xbox Series X games with ray tracing support on Nintendo’s console.
If you’re not interested in ray tracing and would rather play games at a higher frame rate – which is my preference – our Nintendo Switch 2 120fps games, PS5 120fps games, and Xbox Series X 120fps games list every title that supports 120Hz.
Nintendo Switch 2 games with ray tracing
Unfortunately, none of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch games feature ray tracing support. We’ll update this list with every Nintendo Switch 2 game with ray tracing support in 2025 as and when they appear.
The first title that could support ray tracing on Nintendo Switch 2 is Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition, though we’re still waiting for confirmation whether that’s the case.
Have we missed any Nintendo Switch 2 games with ray tracing support on this list? Let us know in the comments below or drop Adam a message on X @ItsMrProducts.
What is ray tracing?
Ray tracing is still a relatively new technique that Nvidia first introduced in 2018. It accurately simulates how light behaves in the real world, including how it reflects, refracts, and interacts with objects and materials. This can have a transformative effect on the visual quality of games, and ultimately makes a game look more lifelike and realistic.
The introduction of ray tracing also means developers no longer have to spend hours "baking" light or reflections into a scene, as ray tracing offers a more dynamic and realistic solution. However, as highlighted earlier, the main issue with ray tracing, especially on consoles, is that it requires a lot of computing power.
As a result, most games that do support ray tracing will often have to lower the resolution or halve the frame rate to compensate for the overhead ray tracing imposes. We’ll have to see how developers implement the technology on Nintendo Switch 2.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.