Xenoblade fans, it’s happening! Nintendo drops a surprise Switch 2 upgrade for Xenoblade Chronicles X with 60fps and more

If you’re anything like me, the second Nintendo announced it’d be giving select Switch 1 titles a fancy Switch 2 makeover, you probably immediately starting compiling a wish list. The Xenoblade series was high on mine, but remained persistently unloved. Until now that is! Out of nowhere, Nintendo just released an upgrade for last year’s Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – and better still, it’s available now.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, as the new release is officially known, follows similar Switch 2 upgrades for the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some have been free, some (namely the ones with a bunch of additional content) have had a heftier price tag, while some updates have arrived with a nominal fee.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition falls into the latter camp, and owners of the Switch 1 version can upgrade to the new Switch 2 Edition for £4.19/$4.99 USD. And what does that get you? According to Nintendo, 4K and “up to” 60fps support in TV mode, plus 1080p and “up to” 60fps when playing in handheld mode. It doesn’t sound like anything else is included, so you might well wonder why Nintendo hasn’t followed previous form and provided this zero-content update for free (probably, money?).

Regardless, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is available on the eShop right now, both as an upgrade and a full game. However, a physical Switch 2 edition is set to launch on 16th April, if you prefer your games small, red, and solid.

For what it’s worth, Eurogamer had good things to say about Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition when we gave it four stars last year, saying that while “not all its additions are for the better… this excavation of Monolith Soft’s alien opus remains as fascinating and enthralling as it was a decade ago.” Now do Xenoblade Chronicles 2 next Nintendo, please.