Stellar Blade Switch 2 Guide: Price, Performance and Bayonetta Outfits

What the Complete Edition includes

This is the all-in version. SHIFT UP’s September 10 announcement says the Complete Edition includes all previously released content, plus its own bonuses. The two collaboration DLC packs are the NieR:Automata pack and the GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE pack. Both came out earlier on PS5 and PC, and both are in the Switch 2 box and download.

One catch comes from Nintendo’s own listing: some of the included content only becomes available after you progress through the main story. So do not expect every outfit in the menu the moment you start. The story itself follows EVE, a member of the 7th Airborne Squad, who descends from the Colony to reclaim an Earth devastated by the Naytiba.

Price, editions and where to buy

One price covers both formats. SHIFT UP lists $59.99 in the US, £54.99 in the UK and €59.99 in Europe, with ¥7,980 in Japan and ₩69,800 in Korea. The digital version is $59.99 on the eShop, and the standard physical version carries the same MSRP. There is no cheaper base-game-only edition on Switch 2. If you already own the game on PS5 or PC, this is a second purchase, not an upgrade. SHIFT UP has announced no upgrade path from those versions.

A Limited Edition SteelBook also exists, with exclusive new key art on a metallic finish. It is sold in strictly limited quantities through participating retailers and Panax. SHIFT UP has not listed a price for it, so check the listing carefully before you pay extra for the case alone. The pre-order bonus set, the Planet Diving Suit (White Edition), Classic Round Glasses and Ear Armor Earrings for EVE, applied only to purchases made by 11:59 p.m. Japan time on November 5. That window has now closed.

How it runs on Switch 2: the 60fps trade-off

This is the part to understand before you buy. SHIFT UP targets 60 frames per second in both handheld and docked play. But the Switch 2 does not render 60 real frames. It renders a steady 30, then uses AMD FSR 3.1 frame interpolation to build an extra frame between each pair, which doubles the output to 60. Nvidia DLSS handles the upscaling. That is the word of SHIFT UP technical director DongKi Lee, in an interview with Nintendo Everything.

The trade-off is real in a game built on parries and perfect dodges. The picture moves at 60, but the game still reads your inputs and simulates the world at its 30 fps base, so the controls do not respond like a native 60 fps game. Interpolated frames can also smear around fast-moving objects. SHIFT UP chief Kim Hyung-tae said at Tokyo Game Show that the team held 60 fps in most situations, and that there are instances where it drops to around 50 fps.

After players tried the free demo, SHIFT UP promised a fix for the players who disliked the feel. On September 23 the studio posted that it had decided to add a Frame Generation toggle at release, so you can switch the effect off and play at the plain 30 fps base. That should mean less input delay and no interpolation artifacts, though SHIFT UP has not published patch notes or menu details for the toggle. There are no separate quality and performance modes. The toggle is the only graphics option SHIFT UP has announced for Switch 2.

One honest gap: SHIFT UP has not confirmed a resolution for handheld or docked play, so this guide prints none. If the studio publishes figures later, we will add them here.

The four free Bayonetta outfits

The surprise of the September announcement was a Bayonetta collaboration. Four couture outfits for EVE arrived free with the launch, at the same hour on Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and PC. They are named Bayonetta, Jeanne, Nun and Black Tresses, and they arrived as part of update 1.5.0, which also adds matching glasses and earrings.

The important point for owners of the older versions: you do not need to buy the Switch 2 version to get them. If you play on PS5 or PC, the same free update gives you the same four outfits. The Switch 2 version is the only way to play Stellar Blade on Nintendo hardware, but the Bayonetta outfits are not locked to it.

Cartridge or download: which should you buy

This is the easiest choice in the guide. Buy the cartridge if you like physical games, because SHIFT UP has made sure the whole game is on it. The boxed version ships with the entire game data on a 32GB game card. There is no game-key card, and no additional download is required to play. That is the studio’s own wording, in its September announcement and its launch press release.

Buy digital if you want to play the moment it unlocks and never swap cards. Nintendo’s current listing puts the download at 25.3 GB. Pre-launch listings estimated 25.4 GB, so the live figure is a touch smaller. Either way, it takes about a tenth of the Switch 2’s 256 GB of internal storage, before you count the space the system keeps for itself. If your storage is tight, remember that Switch 2 games expand onto microSD Express cards, not the older microSD cards from the first Switch.

One warning either way: the cartridge holds the full game, but that is not a promise that no patch will ever arrive. Leave a little headroom for updates, and check the download screen on your console for the final space requirement before you buy.

Try the free demo first

A free demo has been on the Switch 2 eShop since September 20. It is the best way to judge the frame generation trade-off before you spend $59.99, because you can feel the parry timing for yourself. But know its limit: the demo keeps frame generation switched on, with no way to turn it off. So it only shows you the generated 60, not the toggle.

One thing we do not state: SHIFT UP has not said whether demo progress carries over to the full game. Do not count on it. Treat the demo as practice, play it to learn the combat, and expect to start fresh if you buy the full game.

Five things to know before you buy

1. It is a single-player action adventure, rated M for Mature in the US and PEGI 18 in Europe. It is not a game for younger players.
2. The Switch 2 version is the Complete Edition only. There is no base-game-only edition, and no upgrade from the PS5 or PC versions.
3. Some DLC content unlocks only after story progress, so the full wardrobe is not in the menu at the start.
4. The pre-order bonus window closed on November 5. If a listing still promises the white Planet Diving Suit, check the date on it.
5. The game needs Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. It does not run on the original Switch, Switch Lite or Switch OLED.

Stellar Blade Switch 2 questions

Is the Stellar Blade Switch 2 cartridge a game-key card?

No. SHIFT UP says the physical version ships with the entire game data on the cartridge. There is no game-key card, and no additional download is required to play. The boxed version uses a 32GB game card.

Does Stellar Blade run at 60fps on Switch 2?

SHIFT UP targets 60fps in both handheld and docked play, but it reaches that number with frame generation. The game renders a steady 30 frames per second, then AMD FSR 3.1 builds an extra frame between each pair. A toggle in the full game lets you switch frame generation off. SHIFT UP has not confirmed a resolution for either mode.

Are the Bayonetta outfits free on PS5 and PC too?

Yes. The four outfits arrived free on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and PC at the same launch hour, as part of the free update 1.5.0. You do not need to buy the Switch 2 version to get them on another platform.