I recently did something a little unusual: I attended a preview event for a game that’s been out for nearly three years. I’ve logged around 400 hours playing Pokémon Scarlet on my Nintendo Switch since its late 2022 release, so I know the game inside and out. Still, when I was invited to demo Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 before its launch, I jumped at the chance—even if it meant revisiting familiar territory. My goal was simple: see how much these games could improve with the new hardware.
As someone with a pretty high tolerance for technical hiccups—games build character—I’m still very aware of Scarlet and Violet’s flaws on the original Switch. Lag, inconsistent frame rates, online connectivity issues—all of these sometimes overshadow what’s otherwise a fantastic new generation of Pokémon games. But with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and a free performance update for both titles, I was eager to see if those frustrations could finally be addressed.
Starting up the demo at The Pokémon Company International’s office in Bellevue, Washington, I immediately knew where I wanted to explore first: Casseroya Lake—often called “Lag Lake” for its notorious graphical issues. On the original Switch, this area was a laggy mess, with frame rates plummeting and rendering struggles that made exploring or catching Pokémon a chore. It’s one of the most vibrant open areas in the game, but on the old hardware, it often felt dull, empty, or nearly unplayable.
On the Switch 2, however, Casseroya Lake looked stunningly smooth. The number of Pokémon visible in the area increased dramatically—I was immediately greeted by a sleek Veluza, just like before—and the lag and stuttering I was used to were gone. I battled that Veluza without a hitch, and when I encountered a Slowpoke outbreak, sending out my Clodsire for an auto-battle resulted in zero lag. I even watched a Tera Pokémon perform its shiny animation, which looked sharper and more polished than ever before. (Though I was docked, so maybe my TV played a role, but still.)
Throughout my 30-minute demo, this pattern repeated everywhere I went: stable, fluid gameplay, faster load times, and a richer, more lively world filled with Pokémon. While the graphics themselves haven’t seen a complete overhaul—grass textures still look the same—the performance improvements are undeniable. Scarlet and Violet finally run smoothly, transforming the experience from frustrating to genuinely enjoyable. Whether in battles, Tera raids, or navigating menus, everything felt more responsive and immersive.
Is it worth praising a game simply for running well? Maybe not, but I don’t claim to be a tech expert. I know how challenging game development can be, and I’ve enjoyed my 400 hours with Pokémon Scarlet despite its flaws. Still, it’s a bittersweet moment—thinking about how much more these games could have shined if they had launched with better performance from the start.
Near the end of my demo, I waded into another body of water to confirm it ran smoothly—and that’s when I saw it: among the Buizel dotting the shoreline, a shiny one. I’ve spent countless hours shiny hunting in Scarlet, and even though shiny Pokémon aren’t as rare as they once were, I still get excited every time I spot one. Finding that shiny Buizel perfectly captured the joy of exploring Scarlet and Violet—discovering something special in a lively, immersive world. I caught the shiny Buizel, even though it wasn’t part of my save file.
The Switch 2 update feels a bit late for my original Scarlet save—depending on how many hours you consider reasonable to invest in the game. But I also own Violet and have only played it for a couple of hours so far. Seeing that shiny Buizel reminded me how much I’m looking forward to finally diving back into Violet, rediscovering what I love about these Pokémon games, now in a state that truly does them justice.
