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How to make your Nintendo Switch 2 battery last longer
Try these tweaks if your Switch 2 won't run your favorite games away from the dock for long.
By the time the Nintendo Switch 2 finally arrived last year, its forebear was lagging behind many mid-range smartphones in the chipset department. This time, Nintendo really delivered on a console that handles modern games comfortably.
But with great power comes tradeoffs, and the biggest one for the Switch 2 is battery life. Like with most gaming handhelds, the Nintendo Switch 2's battery life is given as a range rather than a specific number of hours. According to Nintendo, you can expect 2 to 6.5 hours on a full charge in handheld or tabletop mode (the console is always plugged into power when docked). But this can vary significantly depending on what games you play and your console settings.
If you play a lot of processor-intensive 3D games, which the Switch 2 is much better equipped to handle than the first Switch, you're going to have to charge the console a lot. If you're planning to make it your portable Cyberpunk 2077 machine, expect the battery life to fall close to the lower end of Nintendo's quoted range. In most cases, it will be difficult to find a game and setup that'll last you the full 6.5 hours.
If your Nintendo Switch 2 battery is draining fast, there are some steps you can take to ensure a full charge lasts as long as possible.
One of the easiest ways to prolong your Switch 2's battery life is dropping the screen brightness. Unless having the slider cranked to the top is the only way you can see what's happening, avoid full brightness since it's a main factor of battery drain. The easiest way to adjust screen brightness is to press and hold the Home button on your controller, which brings up the Quick Settings menu. If needed, you can instead go to System Settings > Screen Brightness.
The system also has an automatic brightness setting, which in theory should set the brightness to the right level for the conditions around you. But this can become annoying, especially when you're playing a game with lots of dark environments. Try getting into the habit of setting the display to a sensible brightness level each time you begin to play, and you'll have the best balance of battery life and clarity.
Your Nintendo Switch 2's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities are important for downloading games, playing online and pairing devices, but they're also a battery drain offender. Having Wi-Fi turned on means your console will scan for networks to connect to, which isn't necessary if you're playing offline.
To disable unnecessary communication, enable Airplane Mode (Flight Mode in some regions) from the same Quick Settings menu, or go to System Settings > Airplane Mode. When enabled, you're able to customize what features still work. For example, you might turn Wi-Fi off while leaving Bluetooth enabled so you can keep using your wireless headphones. NFC is required for Amiibo features, which likely aren't necessary when you're trying to extend battery life.
Nintendo is very proud of its HD Rumble 2 technology, but those motors are no friend to your battery. If you're playing in handheld mode, turning the feature off (System Settings > Controllers & Accessories > Controller Vibration) claws back some juice without massively impacting your experience. If you're playing without headphones, turning the volume down a bit will help too.