The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 Launch: Ubisoft's Racer Hits Nintendo

One of the biggest open-world racers of the decade just got a new home. The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 release is official: Ubisoft's open-world racing festival launched on Nintendo Switch 2 on October 8, 2026, marking the first time any game in the franchise has ever appeared on a Nintendo platform. After three years on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, the Hawaiian car-culture festival is now playable on a handheld that can leave the house with you.

For Switch 2 owners, this is a genuine first. The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 version drops players onto O'ahu for a perpetual festival of speed, positioned as the franchise's answer to the Forza Horizon series, a series Nintendo players could previously only watch from the sidelines. Ubisoft's Ivory Tower studio handled the port, and the game arrives as a full live-service release rather than a stripped-down conversion.

What you get on Switch 2

The Switch 2 version ships with the full base game: more than 665 vehicles spanning hypercars, motorcycles, off-roaders, and vintage machines, themed playlist campaigns from Lamborghini showcases to Japanese drift culture, and online multiplayer modes including Grand Race events for 28 drivers and Demolition Royale. Players joining this week also land right in the middle of Season 11, which added the free island of Kauai on October 7 with a new off-road expedition campaign. According to Ubisoft, the game has already pulled in more than 10 million players across platforms since its 2023 debut.

Technically, Ubisoft committed to 1080p at a steady 30 frames per second in both TV and handheld mode. Creative director Julien Hummer told press the frame rate target was absolutely non-negotiable, calling a locked 30fps in an open-world racer a major achievement. Producer Grégory Corgié stressed this is not a finished game ported and abandoned: it is a new version joining the ecosystem of all Motorfest platforms, and it will receive the same updates as the others.

Why this is a big deal for Nintendo fans

Context matters here. The open-world festival racer genre has essentially belonged to Xbox's Forza Horizon series for a decade, and Forza has never come to Nintendo hardware. For Switch players, the genre gap was real: arcade racers like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are beloved, but nothing on the platform offered the sprawling car-culture sandbox that Forza and The Crew represent. The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 launch finally closes that gap, giving Nintendo's ecosystem its own hundred-hour automotive playground for the first time.

Critics have generally been kind to the game. The 2023 original holds a Metacritic score in the mid-70s and earned a Best Sports/Racing nomination at The Game Awards, with reviewers praising the festival atmosphere and the sheer variety of its themed playlists. The formula is simple and sticky: pick a playlist, work through its story-driven events, unlock new rides, and repeat. With Kauai joining O'ahu and Maui as the third explorable island in Season 11, there is more map to burn rubber on than ever.

If you are picking up The Crew Motorfest Switch 2 this week, the smart move is to start with the playlists that match your vibe: vintage muscle, Japanese drift culture, or supercar showdowns, then dip into Grand Race when you want to test yourself against 27 other drivers. Just remember the always-online requirement before planning a long flight.

The fine print Switch players should know

There are a few caveats worth reading before you buy. The physical edition is a Game-Key Card release, which means the box does not contain the full game and you will download most of it from Nintendo's servers. The game also requires a persistent internet connection and a Ubisoft account, and while cross-progression is supported so your save travels with you, purchased content does not transfer between platforms. The launch price is $49.99 in the US.

Even so, the arrival of a true Forza-style festival racer on a Nintendo system is a milestone worth celebrating. Switch 2 owners finally have their own answer to the open-world racing festival, playable on the couch or on the commute. For more on what's landing on Nintendo hardware this month, check out Hellraiser Revival's Switch 2 launch and Star Wars: Galactic Racer's October debut.

Sources: Ubisoft's official Motorfest Switch 2 announcement and GoNintendo's interview with the developers.