Rise of the Tomb Raider Developers Explain Why Switch 2 Version Is Limited to 30 FPS

Developer Aspyr has revealed why the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration launches with a 30 FPS cap, despite many players hoping for a 60 FPS performance mode. According to the studio, the decision was made after months of testing, with developers concluding that achieving a stable 60 frames per second would have required visual compromises they felt would negatively affect the overall experience.

Speaking in a recent interview, the development team explained that Rise of the Tomb Raider is significantly more demanding on the GPU than Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, making it much harder to maintain higher frame rates on Nintendo's new hardware. While the team experimented extensively with a 60 FPS mode, they found that maintaining smooth performance would have required substantial reductions in graphical quality, something they ultimately decided against.

Aspyr also confirmed that an unlocked frame rate was considered during development. However, internal testing reportedly showed inconsistent performance, frequent frame pacing issues, and noticeable stuttering during combat-heavy scenes. Rather than shipping an unstable performance mode, the developers chose to lock the game at 30 FPS to provide a more consistent and reliable experience throughout the campaign.

Although some players have questioned the decision—especially since the game can reach higher frame rates on more powerful hardware—the studio maintains that image quality and stability were its top priorities for the Switch 2 release. Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, featuring the complete base game and all previously released downloadable content, even if a 60 FPS mode ultimately proved impractical for the final version.