Avowed and the Switch 2 Question: Could Obsidian's Fantasy RPG Go Portable?

Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment's first-person fantasy action RPG, finally arrived on February 18, 2025, after a short delay from its original fall 2024 window. Set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity, the game drops players into the Living Lands as an envoy investigating a mysterious disease that has poisoned the region. It is a sprawling, choice-driven adventure from the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic 2, and The Outer Worlds. Like Bethesda's RPGs, Avowed supports both first-person and third-person perspectives, giving players flexibility in how they explore its lush, dangerous world.

Since Obsidian is a Microsoft-owned studio, Avowed launched exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC. As of early 2026, that exclusivity has not changed. There has been no official word from Obsidian or Microsoft about a PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2 version. Yet the conversation keeps circling back to Nintendo, and for good reason. Obsidian's previous RPG, The Outer Worlds, eventually made its way to the original Nintendo Switch less than a year after its 2019 debut. That port was handled by Virtuos, and it required significant technical compromises. Still, it proved that a modern, graphically ambitious Obsidian RPG could run on Nintendo hardware—if players were willing to accept lower resolution, blurrier textures, and longer load times.

The original Switch was never a natural home for a game like The Outer Worlds. Porting it there was like asking a glacier to squeeze through a keyhole. It worked, but just barely. Avowed is even more demanding, with larger environments, real-time combat, and the kind of visual fidelity that makes the original Switch sweat just thinking about it. A native port of Avowed to the base Switch is probably next to impossible. The hardware simply cannot keep up without cutting the experience down to a shadow of what Obsidian intended.

The Switch 2 changes that calculus. Nintendo's next-generation console, launched in 2025, is far more powerful than its predecessor. It is not a rival to high-end gaming PCs or the Xbox Series X, but it sits in a different weight class than the original Switch. A Switch 2 port of Avowed would still require compromises—reduced settings, perhaps a lower frame rate, and some visual cutbacks—but it could be a genuinely playable version rather than a curiosity. For players who value portability, that could be the ideal way to experience Obsidian's fantasy epic on the go. A Switch 2 port of Avowed would be like fitting a cathedral into a suitcase: clever engineering could make it work, but some stained glass would have to stay behind.

Microsoft's multiplatform strategy has also shifted dramatically. In 2024, the company brought four former exclusives to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Obsidian's own Pentiment and Grounded landed on Switch, signaling that Microsoft is no longer treating every first-party title as a permanent Xbox exclusive. If Avowed follows suit, it would not be a shocking betrayal of exclusivity; it would be a logical extension of a policy that is already in motion. The old walls around Xbox games are not crumbling—they are being dismantled brick by brick, and Nintendo players are watching the dust settle with hope.

Of course, hope is not a release date. Obsidian has been tight-lipped about Avowed's future beyond Xbox and PC. The studio may be focused on post-launch content, updates, or its next project. A Switch 2 port would require a dedicated team, likely an external studio like Virtuos, and a careful technical roadmap. It could happen in 2026 or 2027, or it could never happen at all. The only certainty is that the door is more open now than it has ever been.

If Avowed does come to Switch 2, it will not be the definitive version. Xbox Series X and PC will still offer the best performance and visuals. But a portable version could reach a new audience, one that prefers handheld play and Nintendo's ecosystem. The Outer Worlds proved that Obsidian's RPGs can survive the journey to Nintendo hardware. Avowed could prove that they can thrive there. For now, players can only wait, speculate, and keep their fingers crossed that the Living Lands will one day fit into a backpack.

In the end, Avowed's potential Switch 2 release is less a question of possibility and more a question of timing. Microsoft has already shown a willingness to share its games. Nintendo's new hardware is finally capable enough to host them. Obsidian has a history of bringing its worlds to unexpected places. The pieces are on the board. Whether they form a picture of Avowed on Switch 2 remains to be seen, but the image is no longer a fantasy.