Stellar Blade hits Switch 2 on Nov. 5 with all its DLC and an off switch for frame generation

Stellar Blade Complete Edition launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET). Shift Up, which developed and publishes the game, is releasing it at the same moment worldwide. It costs $59.99 and includes the base game plus the two collaboration DLC packs that came out on PS5 and PC, according to the studio's announcement.

The action game sends EVE down to an Earth overrun by creatures called the Naytiba, and until now it was only on PS5 and PC.

Download or cartridge

The digital version is a 25.3 GB download, per Nintendo's store listing. Switch 2 ships with 256 GB of internal storage, so the game takes roughly a tenth of it before you count the space the system keeps for itself. If you're running low, our guide to freeing up space on Switch 2 without losing your saves covers what to delete first.

Buy the cartridge and you skip that download. Shift Up says it holds the complete game and is not a game-key card, the Switch 2 format that only carries a license and makes you pull the data from the internet. There's also a limited SteelBook edition with exclusive art, sold in small quantities through participating retailers. Shift Up hasn't listed its price.

What the Complete Edition includes

On top of the campaign, you get the NieR:Automata and Goddess of Victory: Nikke collaborations. Nintendo's listing notes that some of that content unlocks only as you progress through the main story. The other extras are cosmetics and progression boosts:

• the Stargazer outfit set for EVE, Adam and Lily
• for EVE, Half-Rim Glasses, a Quadruple Rectangle Earring and the Planet Diving Suit (Captain)
• Stargazer and Fluffy Bear packs for the drone
• 2,000 SP EXP and 5,000 Gold

Four outfits inspired by Bayonetta unlock for free at launch, and Shift Up is adding them to the PS5 and PC versions at the same time. Preorders get early access to the white Planet Diving Suit, Classic Round Glasses and Ear Armor Earrings.

60 fps, with generated frames

Shift Up is aiming for 60 frames per second (fps) in both handheld and docked play, technical director DongKi Lee said in a September interview. Each frame is a single image, and the more of them you see per second, the smoother motion looks. According to Lee, the console renders 30 real frames per second, and AMD's FSR 3.1 builds an extra frame between each pair by estimating where everything on screen is moving. To lighten the load, Nvidia's DLSS also renders each frame at a lower resolution, with less detail, then rebuilds it sharper. Our explainer on DLSS, FSR and PSSR breaks down what each one does.

Those in-between frames make motion look smoother, but they don't make the game respond any faster. EVE still reacts to your button presses at the pace of the 30 real frames. And to build each extra frame, the console has to hold back until the next real one arrives, which adds a little delay. In a game built around parrying and dodging at the last instant, that matters more than it would in a slower adventure. Our guide to input lag and how to reduce it explains why.

The demo, free on the eShop, had frame generation locked on. After reading feedback from players who tried it, Shift Up said on its official account on Sept. 23 that the full game will have a toggle to switch it off from launch. The studio hasn't said how the game runs with it off, though presumably you'd see just the 30 real frames.

If parries felt sluggish to you in the demo, start with frame generation off. If you'd rather have smoother motion even with slightly slower controls, leave it on.

What we still don't know

Shift Up hasn't confirmed the resolution in handheld and docked play, whether demo progress carries over to the full game, or whether you can bring over a save from PS5 or PC. Nintendo's listing only mentions Nintendo Switch Online cloud saves, which require a paid membership and only move saves between Nintendo consoles.