Nintendo Switch running Skyrim looks less pretty than other versions, but just as fun

Wonder what Skyrim running on the Nintendo Switch actually looks like? It's understandable, as the game was teased from day one of the Switch reveal. But wonder no more, as we spotted the game playable on the show floor of EGX 2017 (formerly known as the Eurogamer Expo) and recorded a few minutes' worth of gameplay for you.

Unfortunately, direct capture was not allowed, but you can still get a sense for how the game has - and hasn't - been pared down for Switch. The resolution has been lowered (at least while in handheld mode), and the landscape isn't quite as dense as it is in the PS4, Xbox One, or PC versions. If you look closely, you can see the grass and shrubbery are sparser, and environments aren't fully rendered until the player is relatively close to them.

On the other hand, even the original versions of Skyrim on Xbox 360 and PS3 pale in comparison to the newest versions, so it's not like we're taking a massive step backward here. And there appears to be no slowdown in framerate, even when a giant is pounding our poor Dragonborn into pulp, five characters are all fighting at once, or we're burning mudcrabs to ash.

In other words, it looks like this is still Skyrim, with all of its quirks and features intact. And the idea that you can now (well, not now, the game's not out until November 17) take this massive RPG on the go probably outweighs any graphical compromises for many. What do you think? After seeing it in action, will you give Skyrim yet another playthrough on Nintendo's portable-home hybrid? 

Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.