Grandia HD Collection arrives on Nintendo Switch next week

(Image credit: GungHo Online Entertainment America)

Japanese RPGs Grandia and Grandia 2 will soon be available on Nintendo Switch. Publisher GungHo announced in a press release that the polished-up Grandia HD Collection will arrive on Nintendo Switch August 16, with the PC remaster coming at a later date.

For the uninitiated, Grandia originally released in Japan on Sega Saturn in 1997, and in North America on the PlayStation in 1999. Grandia spawned a sequel that released in both Japan and North America in 2000, originally only available on Sega Dreamcast. Later ports of both games exist in various forms, but this is the first official HD remaster, making now a perfect time for Switch owners to introduce themselves to these classic Japanese RPG adventures.

The Grandia HD Collection includes HD remasters of both Grandia and Grandia II. UI, sprites, texture art, and cinematics have been visually enhanced, and both Japanese and English audio are supported. The Switch will be the first platform to add Grandia HD Collection to its library, followed by the PC at an unknown date. 

According to GungHo director of game publishing Takeshi Minagawa, the collection won't be releasing on PS4 due to the complexities of porting the games over to a 4k-enabled console. We can assume then that the Xbox One is being ruled out for similar reasons.

The PC version, which has yet to receive an official release date, will include widescreen support and customizable resolutions, along with Steam cards and Achievements. Again, these features are exclusive to the PC remaster.

Check out our list of the 25 best Nintendo Switch games you can play right now. 

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Latest in RPG
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"
Kai and Giatta battle Xaurip in Avowed
I get why Obsidian doesn't like The Elder Scrolls comparisons, but Avowed is the first RPG to have its hooks in me this deep since Skyrim took over my life 14 years ago
Mass Effect 3
BioWare lead proves he's onto us while celebrating Mass Effect 3's birthday, clarifying that's all he's doing so that "nobody can say I purposefully teased them"
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip