Final Fantasy X and X-2 on Switch 2 get the job done

Final Fantasy X, the series’ PlayStation 2 debut, turns 25 the month of July 2026. I still remember going absolutely feral in anticipation for this one, pouring and re-pouring over magazine features with tiny, fuzzy screenshots with friends in middle school while we waited for the eventual launch. I didn’t have a PS2 at the time, nor would I get one until much later. Mostly because when I actually played FFX, I was surprised by how little I was into it at the time. But I know people who would take a bullet for this game, and that’s the beauty of a series like Final Fantasy. Every installment is someone’s favorite or least favorite entry, and arguing about that is a time-honored tradition in RPG fandom. My feelings for X are more complicated these days, and I have a great time with X-2... and I have an ever better time diving into new Switch 2 ports. So why not revisit it again for its special anniversary milestone? Square Enix certainly showed up to celebrate... kind of. I don’t think there’s been much of a frothing demand for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on Switch 2, and that’s because the Switch 1 release was a perfectly suitable conversion of the original PlayStation Vita version. It even had the touch control shortcuts that obviously didn’t make it to the other console ports. And since even on PC this bad boy is locked to 30 frames per second, the only real drawbacks on Switch are some minor loading times and slightly fuzzy textures in handheld mode. So it was fine for the most part, especially since now you can trade the touch shortcuts for 1080p with the recent handheld boosting mode. But I was curious to see what the point here was, especially since this thing was quietly announced the day of a Nintendo Direct, after the Direct aired. Weird to just slide this out, right? Perhaps not as weird as the straight up shadowdrop of Star Ocean 2 the other day, but still odd nonetheless. But hey, I respect the backlog-filling even if there’s a lot of consternation over save transfers, upgrade paths, and other details that are making things frustrating for would-be Switch 2 double-dippers. Anyway, here’s what you get for picking up Final Fantasy X/X-2 on Switch 2. You get the resolution bump, letting you play on a 4K display in TV mode without fuzzy textures, and in handheld mode on the Switch 2’s 1080p panel without fuzzy textures. This is mostly a PS2 game with inherently fuzzy textures, so the real beneficiary here is text and UI elements. So now you can have image clarity and the touch gimmicks, which is nice. You also get something the Switch 1 version didn’t have, the extra features like encounter rate adjustment, fast-forwarding gameplay, and other cheat code-like options to help make playing through easier if you don’t like to grind the old-fashioned way. This basically brings the Nintendo version up to parity with the PC and more recent console versions, which is especially great for portable RPG enthusiasts like me. The PC version is not stable, and playing on Steam Deck or similar devices isn’t ideal. Now, you have a portable version that looks great, is feature complete, and doesn’t require weird patches to deal with things like broken cutscenes. Hell yeah. If you haven’t played Final Fantasy X or its sequel before, now’s a great time to do so. X is fascinating in that it’s arguably the last of the “traditional” Final Fantasy games (and the last one to launch under Squaresoft!), while its sequel is kind of a transitional bridge to what the series turned into after. It’s the first of the series to have voice acting (for better or worse), its progression system is more experimental compared to the previous games, and the whole style and vibe of it really stands out due to its Southeast Asian influences and focus on things like folklore and religion. X-2 is the first direct sequel in the series, and takes on its own experiments with a more active combat system, a unique take on “jobs,” and other weird swings taken as Square Enix dealt with talent changes and shifts in gaming culture and markets. It’s a fascinating pair of games in RPG history, whether you enjoy them or not. If you already have this set on Switch 1, there probably isn’t enough incentive to double-dip, especially since you can’t move your saves over between versions and have to pay full price. Whatever is getting in the way of these releases having upgrade options is a bummer, but the reality is these things are totally separate SKUs. So that has to be part of your math as a consumer. On paper though, if you have a Switch 2 and want to replay Final Fantasy X, this is certainly a better version than what was available before. Just... not by a large margin. Perhaps when it’s time for the 30th anniversary, the spotlight for Final Fantasy X will be a little brighter. But this time, the party is a little more on the pragmatic side. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is available on July 23, 2026 for the Nintendo Switch 2. A code was provided by the publisher for this review. The game is also available on PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One. Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.