Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy lands on Switch 2 as Encore Edition, five years after the original — and this time it runs natively
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition is out now on Nintendo Switch 2, priced at $39.99, as a native port with all previous downloadable content and five exclusive 1980s glam rock outfits — a first for Nintendo players, who previously only had a cloud-streamed version.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition is out now on Nintendo Switch 2, five years after the original game first launched, giving Nintendo players a version of the game that actually runs on the hardware. The Encore Edition arrived on the Nintendo eShop on 5 November 2026, priced at $39.99 in the United States and £35.99 in the United Kingdom, and it is the first time the game has been playable on a Nintendo console without streaming it from a server.
The edition was developed by Eidos-Montréal in collaboration with Marvel Games, is published by Eidos-Montréal itself, and is distributed by PLAION Partners. That publishing arrangement reflects how the studio's position has changed since the original release: the 2021 game was published by Square Enix, but Eidos-Montréal now publishes the title itself following its separation from Square Enix.
For Nintendo players, the most important change is that this is a native port. When the original game launched on 26 October 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, the version offered on the first Nintendo Switch was a cloud version that streamed the game from a remote server, which meant it needed a constant internet connection and was widely considered a poor way to play it. The Encore Edition runs directly on Switch 2 hardware, so it can be played offline.
The Encore Edition bundles the full base game together with all previously released digital content, and adds five new outfits that are exclusive to this edition. The outfits dress Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot in 1980s glam rock clothing, a nod to the game's much-loved licensed soundtrack, which mixes classic rock tracks into its story and combat.
On the technical side, the Switch 2 version offers two graphics modes when docked. Quality mode targets 30 frames per second at 1440p resolution, while Performance mode aims for 40 frames per second at 1080p. Handheld play targets 30 frames per second, and the edition also supports HDR and the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. The download is 46.3 GB, and the physical edition ships as a Game-Key Card, which means the cartridge itself carries a download key rather than the full game.
The original game was a critical success when it launched in 2021. A story-driven, single-player action-adventure in which the player controls Star-Lord and leads the Guardians through a cosmic adventure, it won Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021 and was praised for its writing, humour and character work. The Switch 2 edition keeps that story intact and adds the new content around it.
Early verdicts on the port itself have been more mixed. Nintendo Life's review described it as a bright and charming adventure with an okay port, and early graphics comparisons against the PlayStation 5 version have noted that the Switch 2 build trades some image quality and frame-rate stability for portability and the new controls. For players who have never owned another console, though, it is the first proper way to play the game on Nintendo hardware.
The launch landed on one of the busiest days of the Switch 2 calendar so far. The Encore Edition arrived on the eShop on the same day as the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and the Switch 2 version of Stellar Blade, making 5 November a crowded release day for the console, which only launched earlier in 2026.
For Eidos-Montréal, the release is also a statement of intent. The studio has kept the game alive for five years, and bringing it to Nintendo's newest console with new content suggests it sees a long tail for a title that many players still regard as one of the best Marvel games of the last decade.
What comes next for the Guardians on Switch 2 will depend on how the edition sells. A strong launch could encourage further support for the platform from the studio, while the crowded November schedule — with more major releases due in the coming weeks — means the game will have to fight for attention. For now, though, Switch 2 owners finally have a proper version of the Guardians' adventure to play.
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