Pokémon Scarlet & Violet kicked off the ninth generation of one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history, finally bringing a full open world experience many fans had been dreaming of since the series first debuted in 1996. And now with the Nintendo Switch 2 update to the two titles, there’s never been a better time to jump in and check out the Paldea region.
While both games follow the same general narrative beats, some differences should inform your decision of which to play, such as version-specific Pokémon, characters, and lore. But whichever you pick, you should get about the same amount of playtime. Just how much time will that be? And how does it all run on Switch 2? Let’s take a look.
How does Scarlet & Violet run on Switch 2?
Unlike Tears of the Kingdom, Scarlet & Violet’s Switch 2 improvements are entirely free. On the new hardware, loading times have been dramatically cut down to a fraction of their former selves. The framerate is remarkably more stable and the game can now render more Pokémon on screen at once. If you’ve been waiting to upgrade to a Switch 2 before jumping into Scarlet & Violet, it’ll be worth it. Check out a comparison here:
How long does it take to beat Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?
How much time you spend with Pokémon Scarlet & Violet will depend on your in-game goals. If you’re just wanting to see the main campaign through to the end, you’ll be able to get about 25 hours out of either game. However, that’s just the beginning for most Pokémon trainers.
If you’re the kind of person who loves to fill up your Pokédex, explore every nook and cranny of a region, and engage with every battle possible in the game, you can certainly squeeze a whole lot of extra time out of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Completing the Pokédex alone is an easy 50-ish hour affair, while fully clearing everything the game has to offer could take over 80 hours for some players.
But while you’re clearly able to get a substantial amount of playtime out of either of these two Pokémon entries, the real question may be whether or not it’s worth the time investment for fans. And that entirely depends on your level of Poké-fatique.
Pokémon is an extremely long-running franchise that, while evolving in notable ways over the years, has maintained a very familiar (and somewhat basic) gameplay loop. Scarlet & Violet‘s open world design allows for a lot more freedom than ever before, but the goal largely remains the same: Catch Pokémon and battle them. Are you still diggin’ that? If so, there are hundreds of Pokémon to capture and plenty of fighting to be done here, so don’t skip diving into one (or both) of these lengthy pocket monster expeditions.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are both available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
