Since the agreement signed in 2023 between Microsoft and Nintendo, players expect to see Call of Duty land on the future Switch 2. The commitment is clear: ten years of support, with the promise of “complete parity” in terms of content and features. But as the console approaches, publisher Activision remains silent, and rumors intensify as to the actual release date of the first part.
According to Jez Corden, renowned journalist at Windows Central, things are becoming clearer behind the scenes. He claims that development of the first Call of Duty on Switch 2 is well underway. “The first version of CoD on Switch is almost complete and will be released in a few months.”
Why Call of Duty could miss the Switch 2 launch
Initially expected to be one of the flagship titles to accompany the new console, Call of Duty should ultimately only arrive in 2026. The reasons? The complexity of porting such a massive game to a portable console, even on more efficient hardware. While rumors spoke of Warzone being ready on D-Day, a main episode like Black Ops 7 would require more optimization time.
This delay does not call into question the agreement between Microsoft and Nintendo, but it highlights the difficulty of adapting a AAA franchise to a new format without compromising the user experience.
Switch 2 and DLSS: the duo that makes the impossible playable
The technical key to porting is based on DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), a technology developed by NVIDIA. Present on the Switch 2 according to several consistent leaks, it allows you to generate high-resolution graphics from a lower internal rendering. Concretely, a game can run at 720p and be automatically “upscaled” to 1080p or 4K using AI.
Without this technology, it would be impossible to guarantee the 60 frames per second or visual fidelity necessary for a Call of Duty. It is also the lever that will allow the Switch 2 to get closer to the technical standards of the PS5 or the Xbox Series, at least on a visual level.
What should players really expect?
The launch of the Switch 2 already promises to be rich, but without Call of Duty immediately. Fans will probably have to wait until 2026 to discover a complete and optimized version of the flagship license on their portable console. It remains to be seen whether this will be a new episode or of the highly anticipated Black Ops 7announced on home consoles at the same time.
In any case, the promise is maintained, and the presence of CoD on Switch 2 is no longer a hypothesis, but a certainty. You’ll just have to wait a few more months to dive into it, controller in hand.