How to Get Max FPS on Your Nintendo Switch

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Boost your Switch’s performance for better visuals and gameplay

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: December 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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Can a Nintendo Switch run at 60 FPS?

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Best Switch Settings

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Best Fortnite Settings

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The Nintendo Switch is capable of a great many things, but thanks to its outdated hardware, achieving 60 FPS is not typically one of them. While some popular titles can churn out 60 beautiful frames per second, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, most games cannot (like Fortnite). Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to optimize your system and in-game Fortnite settings to get the best gaming experience possible—and we’re here to walk you through them. Read on to learn quick and easy tweaks to help you get the most out of your favorite games.

Can you get 60 FPS on the Switch?

No, not typically. While some games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Splatoon 3 can hit 60 FPS on the Switch, many games are limited to just 30 FPS.

Section 1 of 3:

Can a Nintendo Switch run at 60 FPS?

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Not usually—on most games, the Switch can only manage 30 FPS. Compared to sleek, high-performance consoles like the PS4 and PS5, the Nintendo Switch’s hardware and display tends to fall short.^{[1]
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Research source} A few Nintendo Switch games (like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 3, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) can run in 60 FPS, but other games, like Fortnite, are stuck at 30 FPS.
- It’s not possible to increase your console’s FPS unless you hack your device, which gives you more freedom to mess with your games’ settings. However, this isn’t necessarily a good idea if you have a warranty, as hacking your Switch will void any warranty you have for your device.^{[2]
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  Research source}
- Check out Open Surprise’s playlist of FPS Test videos, where he reviews popular Switch games and tests their framerates.

Section 2 of 3:

Optimizing Your Switch’s Settings

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Head to the “Data Management” section of your System Settings and select the “Move Data Between System/microSD Card” option.^{[3]
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Research source} Offloading some content to your SD card may help your games run more smoothly.
In your System Settings, scroll to the “Controllers and Sensors” menu and toggle “Controller Vibration” to “Off.” Some players find that controller vibrations can make certain games (like Fortnite) lag, so turning this setting off might improve your framerate.
Head to the “TV Output” section of your System settings, followed by “TV Resolution.” Choose the best resolution setting available for your TV, whether that’s 720p or 1080p. While adjusting your resolution won’t impact your frame rate directly, it will improve the way your gameplay looks overall.
Enter your System Settings and head to the “TV Output” menu, followed by the “RGB Range” section. If your system is on “Automatic,” switch it to “Full Range” instead. This setting won’t change your FPS, but it’ll improve the color quality in your games.
In System Settings, visit the “Sleep Mode” menu and toggle both “Auto-Sleep” settings (“Playing on Console Screen” and “Playing on TV Screen”) to “Never.” Your sleep settings have no impact on your Switch’s FPS, but they can save you the time of having to wake up your device frequently.

Section 3 of 3:

Optimizing Your Fortnite Settings

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While some players suggest tweaking these settings, other players advise leaving them be to put less pressure on your game system.
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Toggle on “Auto Download High Resolution Textures.” This setting allows your game to pre-download game textures, which can prevent a laggy in-game experience.
- You can keep the “High Resolution Texture Reminders” setting beneath it turned off.
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Toggle off “Show FPS” and “Power Saving Mode.” Some Fortnite players find that turning off these settings can help prevent your game from running into delays.
- Some players also find that switching off the “Show FPS” option can help prevent you from getting distracted by your framerate.
Your device might have your Matching Region set to Auto, potentially slowing down your game. Instead, choose the region from the provided list that’s closest to your location (e.g., NA West, NA East, Europe, etc.).
Some Fortnite players find this range to be the sweet spot for your display settings—it still makes it easy to see your weapons without slowing down your game.
This can prevent delays in your gameplay experience.
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Scale down your subtitle settings as much as possible. If it’s convenient for you, toggle Subtitles to “Off,” and switch the other settings to:
- Text Size: Extra Small
- Text Color: White
- Text Border: None
- Background Opacity: Clear
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Switch off any settings that are unnecessary to your gameplay. Building settings like “Disable Pre-Edit Option” are unnecessary, as well as Tutorial settings like “Contextual Tips.”
- Go through the different Fortnite settings pages and review what each feature does. If you don’t use or need certain features in your gameplay, feel free to turn them off.
- For instance, you might toggle off some of the visual settings in the “HUD Options” menu, like “Show Spectator Count,” “Player Health,” “Resources,” “Minimap,” and so on.