GRID Legends Deluxe Edition (Switch 2) Review

When GRID Autosport made its way to the Nintendo Switch all the way back in 2019, no one expected what we got. How could Nintendo’s little tablet pull off a racing game like that with the limited power the system had? Well, it did. It was chock full of content, looked and ran great, and even though it didn’t have online multiplayer at launch, they did add it eventually. Feral Interactive nailed it.

So for GRID Legends, the playbook is very much the same again. Taking a slightly older GRID game, stuffing it full of content, and getting it to run and look great on Nintendo’s hybrid system — we’re just missing online multiplayer at launch yet again (although so far, no promise to add). Déjà vu.

GRID Legends first released in 2022 on other consoles and PC, and does something a little different compared to racers like Forza or Gran Turismo. It offers a mix of vehicle racing that ranges from destruction derby vans and hot hatches to touring cars (including Australian V8 Supercars), open wheelers, and both production and concept cars. There’s a little bit of everything here, and all of it can be played as seriously as you want, with multiple difficulty settings, assists on or off, racing lines enabled or disabled, it’s entirely up to you how deep you want to go.

There are three main ways to play GRID Legends: Career Mode, which features ten different racing styles to burn rubber through; Free Play, where you can set up a race however you like (or at least with what you’ve unlocked); and then there’s the game’s raison d’être — the Driven to Glory live-action, Netflix-style documentary campaign. In it, you race as Driver 22 while trying to make your way in the racing world. The full-motion videos feel very 90s, and while the acting isn’t amazing, it’s only a little cheesy and they clearly lean into it, which makes it fun. It also took me a while to realise it, but yes, there’s Doctor Who in this game.

GRID Legends is perfect for playing on the Switch 2 because it’s not really designed to be smashed through in long sessions. Trying to power through hundreds of races back-to-back probably isn’t the best way to play. Being able to jump back in, pick up a race, and continue through the story or Career Mode works well, especially since you’re unlocking something new almost every time you play — a car, a livery, or something else for your garage. Playing it all in one go would be a bit much, particularly as some of the story mode events revisit similar tracks and locations. There’s plenty of variety on offer, but you’ll return to the same places more than once.

There’s also a wealth of content here thanks to the inclusion of all the DLC released for the game, with multiple video-driven campaigns to play through. Without the campaign structure, trudging through race after race might feel a bit performative, but having a silly story to tie everything together helps keep things fresh and engaging.

If you’re looking for online action, though, you won’t find anything competitive in real time here. There are leaderboards (shared with the mobile versions of the game) and dynamic, time-limited events that refresh periodically, but no multiplayer racing. Feral may add online play later, they did with GRID Autosport but there’s no guarantee they’ll do it again.

There’s also one notable omission in this Nintendo Switch 2 version for most players: analogue acceleration and braking. The game technically supports it, but your options are limited. One method is using the right analogue stick to apply throttle and braking pressure rather than going full on or off. The other is using the GameCube Nintendo Classics controller, which is supported perfectly and works just like it should. I found myself gravitating towards that controller, but if you’re playing on easier difficulty settings with assists enabled, the digital triggers are serviceable enough. Unfortunately, third-party controllers like my 8BitDo Pro 3, which do have analogue triggers, don’t work properly here, hopefully that’s something that can be fixed.

Thankfully, that’s where most of my gripes end. This Switch 2 port has clearly been well thought out by Feral and takes advantage of the hardware in several ways. There are different settings depending on whether you’re playing docked or handheld, but broadly speaking you can choose between a higher-fidelity 30fps mode or a smoother 60fps performance mode. The 30fps option looks fantastic, with detailed tracks, strong effects, and reflections everywhere. The 60fps mode drops some visual fidelity, but when you’re racing at speed, you may not even notice. There’s also a Battery Saver mode that dials things back further to extend battery life.

There’s no truly bad option here, although Battery Saver does make it look more like an original Switch game. Graphics mode delivers a clean, polished presentation with high-quality mirrors when racing from the cockpit and improved reflections across the board. Performance mode, on the other hand, is silky smooth. While there’s some pop-in and a bit of weirdness from the resolution scaling, it ultimately feels like the better way to play. The game’s bombastic soundtrack may irritate some players. While it does add atmosphere to the racing, along with the characters barking at you and the sound of racing cars all around, it can be a little much at times. Likewise, the audio mixing between the racing sections and the live-action video is a little off, and I found myself reaching for the remote to change the volume between events.

Codemasters made a cracking game, and Feral Interactive has once again done what it does best with its porting efforts — taking the source material and tuning it to near perfection for Nintendo hardware. The only real negatives are the lack of proper analogue triggers (which isn’t the game’s fault) and the absence of multiplayer. But if you’re happy racing solo and soaking up the drama at team Seneca, it’s time to zip up the racing suit.

Rating: 4.5/5