- Primary Subject: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2
- Key Update: New quality-of-life features including PC booster options.
- Status: Review
- Last Verified: 2026-07-29
- Quick Answer: This review analyzes the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster's release on Switch 2, evaluating its new features, performance, and value for both new and returning players.
Final Fantasy X is twenty-five years old, but its standing as a genuine classic in the JRPG genre hasn’t faded one bit. I would argue that X gets far too overlooked in favor of its younger sibling, Final Fantasy VII, but I think it holds its own against the adventures of Cloud and company. In fact, depending on what day I get asked, Final Fantasy X is my absolute favorite game in the series: great characters, great plot, fantastic battle system, and arguably the greatest track composed for the franchise in Zanarkand.
I still remember picking up my original copy on the PS2, rushing home, and letting the Sphere Grid and Blitzball completely eat up every spare hour of my life for weeks. I still play this game every few years just to see the story through and spend more time with my favorite characters.
To say I love this game would be an understatement.
However, watching Tidus and Yuna’s journey land on a brand-new Nintendo console brings me a blend of nostalgia and skepticism, especially for a game that has been ported to virtually every screen available over the last two decades. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2 was a tough one for me to review.
Let me explain.
If you have somehow managed to live through the last quarter of a century without playing Final Fantasy X, my pitch here is simple: buy it. In fact, stop reading right now, fire up the eShop, and add it to your queue. You get both Final Fantasy X and its direct sequel X-2 (along with some hit-or-miss additions like Last Mission and Eternal Calm) in one place, giving you dozens upon dozens of hours of top-tier RPG goodness.
It remains one of the finest eras in Square Enix’s catalog, striking a balance between tactical turn-based combat and emotional storytelling that very few (if any) games have matched since its original release.
The battle system alone is still brilliant design. The setup here ditches the panic and urgency of the Active Time Battle gauge in favor of a clean, trackable timeline. Sitting on the side of the screen, it shows you precisely how swapping out party members on the fly, casting Haste, or lining up an Overdrive will alter the turn order three steps ahead. It turns boss fights into satisfying tactical puzzles, rewarding strategy and foresight over pure button-mashing or quick reflexes.
Pairing that combat with the Sphere Grid gives character progression a hands-on feel that modern skill trees rarely replicate. You're paving a path across a massive board, carving out custom roles for your party or guiding them into each other's domain as the story progresses.
Add in Nobuo Uematsu’s legendary soundtrack, a world in Spira that feels atmospheric and distinct, and the inclusion of X-2, which features one of the absolute best, most fluid job-system combat mechanics in the entire franchise, and the sheer amount of quality RPG content on offer here is undeniable.
On Switch 2, it runs as well as you could ask for. Load times transition quickly between cutscenes and exploration, and the handheld presentation looks sharp on the upgraded screen. Weirdly, cutscenes are not skippable, definitely something that would have been nice for veterans.
Where this Switch 2 version actually sets itself apart from the Switch 1 release is in the quality-of-life additions. For the first time on a portable console, Square Enix has included the full suite of PC booster options, commonly known as the built-in "cheats." You now get access to toggles for no random encounters, speed boosts to zip through long walks, supercharged battle modes, and automatic skill unlocks.
If you are someone who loves the story of Spira but hates the random encounter interruptions every five steps while backtracking, these toggles are a godsend. Being able to turn off encounters entirely while hunting for secrets or navigating complex maps improves the game's flow.
However, if you already own the Switch 1 version and don't care about those PC boosters, the math just doesn't add up.
It is a real shame that Square Enix didn't increase the frame rate to 60 fps for this release. The game remains locked at 30 fps, which may be due to technical limitations, but it seems more could have been done to improve the frame rate. Even worse, when I put the Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions side by side, I honestly couldn't tell the difference visually. The character models, environmental textures, and pre-rendered cutscenes look practically identical to what we played on Nintendo's last system.
To make matters worse for returning players, there is no save transfer option available. If you sank eighty hours into grinding out the Celestial Weapons or clearing out the Monster Arena on your Switch 1 file, you can't bring that hard work over to this new edition. You have to start completely from scratch.
Adding insult to injury, Square Enix has opted not to offer any kind of discounted upgrade path for existing digital owners. If you already bought this package on the original Switch, you are expected to shell out the full price all over again just to access the PC toggles. Sure, forcing fans to double-dip at full cost might make sense on a corporate balance sheet, but it isn't remotely consumer-friendly.
That brings us to how to view this as an overall package. The games themselves remain timeless, and having access to the built-in PC boosters on a portable screen finally delivers the most complete version of this collection on console to date. The convenience options make playing through these campaigns smoother than ever before, even if the technical upgrades are barely noticeable.
If you are stepping into Yuna’s pilgrimage alongside Tidus for the very first time, or if you skipped the Switch 1 release, buying this bundle is a complete no-brainer. You are getting two massive games with brilliant combat systems and better control over your playstyle thanks to the new booster toggles.
But for owners of the Switch 1 version, knock a few points off the overall verdict. Without an upgrade path, meaningful visual bump, 60fps support, or save transfers, it simply isn't a worthwhile purchase.
Otherwise, Final Fantasy X is still the masterpiece it always was, and X2 is a nice little bonus. Snap this up if you haven’t got it yet, but if you already own the Switch 1 version, maybe wait for a sale if you really want those minor QoL upgrades.
