Every time a new console releases ports or updates for existing titles, it sets off a wave of analysis and reevaluation in speedrunning communities. Speedrunners closely examine how the new hardware affects performance, determining which platform becomes the new standard, which region’s version runs fastest, and whether any new tricks or exploits become viable (or obsolete).
This debate has reignited with the arrival of the Switch 2, particularly around Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. One speedrunner, who streams under the name carolio_ch on Twitch, recently shocked the community by posting a new personal best that shaved 30 minutes off their previous time.
What makes this run notable isn’t a clever new exploit or route optimization. Rather, carolio attributes the timesaves purely to the Switch 2’s faster hardware. “I completed a full Pokémon Scarlet/Violet RTA run on the Switch 2 version,” carolio explained. “Compared to my PB on the original Switch (which was the 2nd best in the world), even with a sloppy run, I still beat my record by 30 minutes, so I could really feel the massive performance difference.”
Reactions across the speedrunning scene ranged from astonishment to excitement. Some noted that sub-5-hour runs were once thought impossible. Thanks to the Switch 2’s significant hardware upgrades, including loading times estimated to be cut by up to 90%, former bottlenecks in the game are vanishing. Could this be the start of a new era in Nintendo speedrunning?
