The Devil May Cry series is one of Capcom’s best for so many reasons. You get memorable characters, fun narratives, comedic moments, great music, and superb gameplay all wrapped up in a package that is always hard to put down. It’s been over seven years now since the release of Devil May Cry 5, a game I view as one of my favorite action games of the last generation. Beyond the story finally answering some long-time questions, gameplay was just incredible, and I spent dozens of hours just messing around in Bloody Palace after rolling credits.
As someone who is always busy and gaming in short spurts anywhere I can, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a godsend for me since its release last June. I’ve enjoyed diving back into some of my backlog, but what’s really excited me has been all the games that didn’t make it to Switch making the jump over to Switch 2. Devil May Cry 5 was one of my most wanted ports, and finally, Capcom revealed Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition during this month’s Nintendo Direct.
I’ve had the chance to spend some time with Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition on Switch 2 ahead of launch, and it’s everything I wanted from a port. Devil May Cry 5, in all its glory, is a treat in both handheld and docked mode, and Nintendo Switch 2 owners are in for a grand old time with Nero, Dante, and crew.
Rev It Up
Devil May Cry 5 is split between the perspectives of the game’s three main characters: Nero, Dante, and V. The game features a mission-based structure that has you switching between these characters as the narrative unfolds and affects them all. I still wish there were more focus on the side characters, but this story is so much fun and just insane for longtime fans of the series. It’s worth noting that while you can easily enjoy this story by itself, quite a lot will go over your head if you haven’t yet experienced the previous Devil May Cry games. Thankfully, the first three games are already available on Switch (and DMC3SE in particular is a must-play on the platform), but we still do not have Devil May Cry 4.
The Devil Hunter Edition doesn’t feature any new content we haven’t seen before, but it is essentially a complete collection of everything released for DMC 5. This includes alternate costume colors for the main cast, extra Devil Breakers for Nero, battle music tracks from the first four Devil May Cry games, additional rank voices, live-action cutscenes, and the addition of Vergil as a playable character. If you played Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, there’s nothing new here, but it’s basically everything you had there besides Turbo Mode, now on the go. I would’ve liked to see something new, but considering Itsuno and other key development members are no longer at Capcom, it isn’t all that surprising.
Gameplay is the area that matters the most with any action game, and that is especially true for Devil May Cry. Each mission is structured as a linear action stage that leads you from combat encounter to combat encounter, culminating in a boss fight. This design keeps levels focused and tight, so there is hardly any backtracking. The downside to this, though, is that some levels do feel similar to one another, especially with area design inside the Qliphoth.
With four different playable characters, combat is absolutely bonkers and never fails to be a blast. I really like describing DMC5 in particular as a character action “sandbox”, as the game really does let you go wild and experiment to your heart’s content. There are so many layers to combat, and you can really go as deep or as surface-level as you want to go. Those who really dig in and attempt to perfect combos will be heavily rewarded, but mindlessly slashing away with just a few basic attacks can still be a blast.
Nero is a blast with a wide variety of weapons to use, including his sword, gun, and Devil Breakers that can be interchanged for different abilities. Dante is chaotic with a stupidly high skill ceiling because of his large number of weapons and movesets. V is a character some people love and some hate, but I find his moveset fascinating and enjoyable in most sections of the game. Finally, Vergil brings a new challenge to the table with his Yamato and Summoned Swords. You can’t go wrong with any of these characters, and while everyone will have favorites, it’s impossible not to have fun regardless of who you’re playing as.
Beyond the main story, DMC5 has plenty to offer. Bloody Palace is a huge highlight, offering 101 floors to conquer and master the combat for each character. Replayability is also very strong, with multiple difficulty modes, collectibles to find, secret missions to complete, and the S-Rank grind available as well. Newcomers have so much to look forward to, and veterans can jump into Devil Hunter Edition to grind out Bloody Palace wherever they are.
Smooth As Butter
It’s been almost six years since the release of Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, and I haven’t replayed the game since then. It was wonderful revisiting it on the Nintendo Switch 2, and the experience is just as good as I remember. Capcom made it clear in the reveal of this port that both handheld and docked modes offer a “smooth 60 frames-per-second” experience, and I can absolutely confirm that is the case. Performance is seriously impressive, not dipping for even a second, with sharp resolution that lets you take in the visuals without much drawback.
Handheld mode, in particular, is where this port shines. Performance locks at 60, and the visuals are great; I never felt like I was playing an inferior version or anything like that. I did find the opening mission to be a little dark with the recommended brightness settings, but that was an easy fix and isn’t something I noticed elsewhere. Docked mode has a noticeable step up in resolution, and performance locks here as well. I was impressed by how steady the performance is, as even in combat encounters with a high number of enemies, it didn’t budge. You’ll find aliasing and some hair that doesn’t look as good as other versions throughout, but this isn’t anything offensive and is in line with Capcom’s other ports.
Playing this after years and years of RE Engine releases makes it all the more impressive, in my opinion. This game still looks absolutely beautiful, and it’s a testament to Capcom’s work with RE Engine since the early years. Docked mode is great and feels just like playing on PS5 or PC on a display, but handheld mode is where I got the most out of Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition. Capcom has once again continued the trend of great Switch 2 ports, with this one having the best overall performance of the company’s 2026 releases for Switch 2. Considering DMC 5 originally released in 2019 and 2026 releases included Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, that’s to be expected, though.
Jackpot
Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition plays like an absolute dream on Switch 2. I had a really hard time putting it down. Whether docked or handheld, this is a wonderful way to check out one of Capcom’s most memorable games of the last decade. It’s a natural fit for Switch 2, especially as the mission-based structure and Bloody Palace mode make it a perfect game to chip away at in handheld mode.
Now that Devil May Cry 5 is playable on the Switch 2, maybe Capcom will get around to bringing Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition over and complete the collection. And, of course, the eventual Devil May Cry 6 wouldn’t be bad, either. Capcom recently confirmed that Devil May Cry 5 has passed 11 million copies sold after having its best sales year yet, so here’s hoping there’s more DMC in the not-so-distant future. For now, though, I’m happy to have such a wonderful action game from Capcom’s catalog on the go.
Disclaimer: Capcom provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition for review purposes.
