NetEase’s popular PvE survival game Once Human is launching on Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 on August 25, 2026. Following the game’s PC launch, the team has heavily rebuilt the game to run performantly on consoles, but there’s just one platform missing: Nintendo Switch 2.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has been a massive success. While it has seen less free-to-play releases than other platforms, there have been ports of major titles such as Overwatch, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and more.
Speaking to FRVR ahead of the upcoming console launch, lead game designer and producer of Once Human’s console version, Producer Vincent, explained that the studio is looking into the possibility of bringing the PvE game to Nintendo’s latest handheld.
“We’re definitely keeping a close eye on the hardware specs and market landscape for the Switch 2,” the producer told us in a recent interview. However, the potential port would require an additional period of major optimisations to bring the game to the handheld as its still quite CPU-heavy.
“Given the seamless open-world and massive multiplayer co-op nature of Once Human, we require some pretty heavy-duty hardware optimisation to ensure we’re delivering the best possible visual and gameplay experience without compromise,” the producer said.
“That being said, whenever the technical conditions align, we’re always super eager to bring Once Human to new platforms so even more players can jump in.”
While NetEase hasn’t started work on a Once Human Nintendo Switch 2 port at the time of writing, the gaming giant is working on bringing other games to Nintendo’s platform. For example, the free-to-play behemoth Marvel Rivals is currently in active development as the game expands to become a “moving Marvel anime experience” instead of just a hero shooter.
As it relates to Once Human, a Nintendo Switch 2 port will only release if the team can be proud of its performance. Vincent explained that the game’s console port to Xbox and PlayStation has been a huge undertaking with the team aiming for expert performance at high resolutions.
“We set the bar incredibly high for ourselves: rock-solid 60/120 FPS performance, intuitive controller mapping, and immersive haptic feedback,” the developer told us. “The player feedback really validated that focus and pushed us to refine things even further. In the latest builds, we’ve rolled out custom key mapping, streamlined a ton of UI/UX interactions, and dialed in the performance optimization. We want to make sure console players feel right at home the second they pick up the controller.”
Once Human launches on Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 on August 25, 2026.Once Human devs are “definitely keeping a close eye” on Nintendo Switch 2, but a port will require heavy optimisations
