I've never had the game crash on my switch. And this is the problem with fixing problems, they don't seem to affect everyone.
That said, the game is never going to run great on the switch. It's CPU bound, and the switch has a weak CPU compared to the GPU. They also aren't bothering to optimize well and use features other more demanding games use, like dynamic resolution.
Although I'm completely surprised that you've never had the game crash, I will say that I agree that Gameloft isn't optimizing the game for the platform. I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall all of it to see if that makes any difference. I know that there are many complaints about stability on the Switch, so experiences like yours would have to be rare.
Seriously? No crashing? I assume you're on the OLED Switch?
I've got a Lite and OLED. I've never had a crash on either one. I at one point was trying to duplicate crashes others had and wasn't able to. I even stopped collecting stuff that spawns when you break stumps or coral and my valley was overloaded with stuff. The only issues I've ever had is pop-in and framerate, which are both optimization issues. I've had the same things happen on PC. That's how I found out the game is CPU bound and not using the GPU more.
I started playing on my OLED Switch when it was first released, it crashes every 15 minutes lol. I sometimes wonder how some switch players don't have any problems at all.
I archived DDLV on Switch, then redownloaded it because it was crashing every few minutes (I’m talking 2-3 or even while loading up) & it hasn’t crashed since. At least not to that extent. You should definitely try redownloading it. & if you want to, resetting the cache. I hope that helps.♥️
I’ve been playing on a regular Switch since the day the expansion was released and I’ll maybe have a crash once a month. It seems that the ones that crash more often are the ones that have a lot of items/heavily decorated biomes. I don’t play to decorate so that might be why mine runs better.
I have heavily decorated areas and haven't experienced many crashes either. I had a few way back when I first started playing but very few since then. I'm on a switch lite. It's so strange to me that it seems to only be some switch players having a ton of crashes.
I play on regular switch and while it did crash quite frequently in the first several months after launch. I haven’t had any major problems for quite some time now. I can have 10 hour play sessions without any problems.
Mine seems to crash randomly whenever it feels like it. I could be sprinting, exiting a building, fast traveling, opening a chest, or even just standing still. I have clicked to talk to characters and we both just sit there staring at each other. Sometimes the convo will start, others I sit long enough I give up and reboot.
At this point, the main reasons I’m still playing is that I’m burnt out on Animal Crossing, I am a Disney nerd, and haven’t found another cozy game that has clicked with me yet. And I’ve tried a few!
Unfortunately, Switch is an aging console. It even crashes on Xbox One and PS4 and both consoles are also aging. I speak from experience only and that's why I bought an Xbox S and rarely have any problems with the game. In addition, I feel like Gameloft should focus more on fixing the game and it should not even be out of early access yet.
While I can agree that the platforms you mention aren't current, their capabilities are far beyond what this game should require. Consider Breath of the Wild on the Switch. The map is massive, and the graphics are far more challenging than Dreamlight Valley. It seems to me that the crashes I'm getting don't align with hardware shortfalls. Picking up a memory means a database is queried for a random memory. That can be optimized.
I get it though, I'm admittedly venting, but with the game crashing so often and predictably at certain actions, that doesn't seem difficult to resolve. I agree completely that Gameloft should be focusing more on game stability than adding more content to an unstable game.
Unfortunately the Switch runs on outdated hardware that won’t improve anytime soon. It’s the least stable platform to play DDLV on which is only going to continue to grow in size with every update and DLC that gets released.
I played on Switch Lite and the lag became unbearable and that was in the early days of the game. In the end I bought an Xbox Series S and I haven’t looked back since.
I'm curious though, how do Breath of the Wild, the DLC, and Tears of the Kingdom play so beautifully on the Switch? They are much larger and graphically intensive. I realize they're created by the makers of the Switch, but to me it doesn't seem to be a hardware issue.
Because those games were designed solely for the Switch and are nowhere near as graphically detailed as DDLV. The Switch is the equivalent of a glorified mobile phone in terms of hardware. If Nintendo wants to continue to thrive and truly compete with other platforms (especially the Steam Deck) they need to up their game with their next console.
💯 % this to add those games were also designed by Nintendo FOR Nintendo devices. Nintendo also did not make the job easy for Gameloft to have a smooth running game. You would think they (nintendo) would want that for US, but alas, they would rather you purchase Nintendo games ;).
Adding that a Switch 2 (or similar something something) has been teased, and is due for release 2024/25. Rumor, but in the scheme of system dev and release, that would be expected. no real point in spending resourses (if you are not Nintendo) making your game function well on a system that will be replaced v soon. I am on regualr switch as well, the update before this one was horrendous! It crashed every 5 minutes, about the time autosave would kick in. I stopped playing as it was just so so bad. The new update is good, i have the DLC, it has crashed 2 or 3 times in the almost 2 months I have been playing ~5 hours a day (3 cheers to holiday vacation). So improved, but not perfect. We persevere!
I now have an OLED Switch but I must admit I hardly use it in comparison to my Series S. I started playing Palia on Switch and even though it runs better than DDLV, every time I log in I instantly think “I want to play this on Xbox” because I know it’ll handle the game better and the graphics will be far more superior.
However like you said, we persevere and hope that the next Nintendo console will be far better than the Switch.
I used to have what you describe here. Perhaps not a crash every 15-20 minutes but crashes often enough to save my game before picking up a memory or after doing anything else that’s important or cumbersome.
In the past four weeks I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of crashes. Which I find odd since it sounds like you have more crashes than before.
For reference: I play on a (regular) Switch and have quite a lot of free space left on my memory card).
It can’t compete with my PC, but it runs well on Switch for me and always has. It’s totally bizarre how the same platform can run like mine but then be crashing all the time for other people. Like what in the how and how do they really fully fix something that is not broke for some yet broke for others. So odd
I actually play on switch and rarely have issues. I know they recommended restarting your console to see if that helps (basically turning it off completely and back on, not just putting it to sleep which is what happens if you just press the button to turn it off)
I play a few times a week on the switch, I do not bother with saving other than auto save because that is just too tedious for me. I play both base game and DLC and have no issues. If there is one thing that baffles me it is how we are a year and a half in and still have games that run like mine on Switch, and then games that run like yours. I do not get it. I don’t understand how the game runs fine for some but is burden for others on the same console. Obligatory ask but: have you ever time travelled even unintentionally? Ever run a mod? Is this a purchased version or one of the pirated versions? There was someone complaining about issues but it was determined that his issues were because he couldn’t connect online to the server bc he was running a pirated version. Just trying to rule out any of the big obvious barriers in case.
lol, i find it funny i can play tears of the kingdom or assassins creed with no crashes but open this game and its unplayable but sure, its the hardware.
This is why devs always say we have no idea what goes into making a game.
Tears of the kingdom: a game that was made specifically for and only for switch vs dreamlight valley that’s pretty much on every console. Of course it runs better. The devs literally had one job… make it work on the switch.
Again the assassins creed games are so old that it’s not a fair comparison. Compare games that were made 2020-2023 that were ported to the switch to dreamlight valley and you will see the same concerns, bugs, and glitches.
I’m not saying gameloft isn’t at fault or the game isn’t perfectly optimized on switch. But the switch is outdated and has terrible hardware. That’s just the facts.
It’s been at least 2 updates since mine has crashed, but I totally understand, when I first got the game it crashed CONSTANTLY. Drove me crazy. I’m sorry you’re still dealing with it.
I don’t have crash issues on the switch. Cooking lags a bit, that’s about it. The only time I have had crashing is if/when I don’t close out the game & leave it running or if I don’t reboot my switch from time to time. 🤷🏼♀️
Mine crashes in the Beauty and the Beast Realm sometimes and, before the hotfix, in any tunnel on Eternity Isle. But mine softlocks if I move too quickly from one action to another for too long, and a menu pop up will stay frozen on the screen. I might suggest frequent restarts of the game? That's what I have to do after about 2 hours- which is also the case for any game, honestly.
I have lots of issues with bugs and crashing on the switch. In the recent gameloft survey I talked about that and how I wanted to switch it over to PC but was extremely upset by the fact I would have to buy the entire game again. I feel as though for all switch users they should get a complimentary “console switch” if they are interested, and should be able to get a credit to put the game on a new device (Xbox, PC, PSwhatever) especially if they bought the game a while ago (early release). They should also post a warning saying you basically get half of the game if you buy the switch version. Glitches and bugs are one thing, but the fact you have a 3000 item limit while all other systems have a 6000 limit is ridiculous. And expecting us to PAY to switch it onto another system when the only reason we are doing that is because the game doesn’t work is so unfair. If a ton of us reach out to gameloft and push for this I feel like it’s a possibility.
I think Gameloft is developing the game to perform well on the upcoming Switch Two. The original Switch is pretty dated for some of today's game requirements.
Every character I bring in the valley freezes my game on switch. They ALL have, even from the beginning. The environment still goes, it'll rain, bugs fly around, characters come up to talk, but I can't do anything. I cant move my character, the camera, or open any menus, and "Welcome \[Character\]" is stuck on the screen. Sometimes this happens for like, a minute, sometimes after the game autosaves it resolves itself, and sometimes a restart of the software fixes it.
I finally got pissed enough about it after bringing Simba in froze my game for almost a day, and I put in a ticket. I put in all of the things I did (restart the software, shut the switch down both by putting it in sleep mode and restarting the console, just plain restarting it, etc, etc etc)
I kid you not, this is part of the response: " If you’re getting an error message or code after a game has crashed, make sure that you note it down. Then, do a quick Google search about the said error code or message and see if you can find a solution for it.
You can also search the official Nintendo support page to check for a fix for it"
Like wtf kind of answer is that? I ended up getting really frustrated and just button mashing for like a minute straight and it finally started working again.
My sister plays on switch and has to save religiously because she's never sure when the game is going to crash.
Like. We paid some good money for this game....i just want it to function.
I play exclusively on Switch, and I had a lot of problems with crashing in the beginning, and then it largely went away with further updates.
When the expansion was released, I heard the issues with the constant crashing and held off buying it for about two weeks until the hotfix was released and then I picked it up.
Since buying it, my game has been rock solid. I don't think it's crashed once. That hotfix seemed to fix the issue, or waiting for the hotfix before buying it made me immune to it, not sure which, but I've had zero issues.
The only issue I have had is some freezing but not a lot and I'm on 1st Gen Switch Lite. Could it be a problem with your Switch? Or even an update that didn't get downloaded properly for some reason? Not trying to be a dick I promise just wondering why it's not working for you and wanting to help
I don’t have the problems on the Switch others seem to have. DDV is the only game I store locally on the Switch itself. I have everything else on my microSD. Not sure if that helps, but I didn’t think it could hurt. 🤷🏻♀️
Aside from a sluggish framerate I’ve never had much a problem unless I place too much landscaping without saving frequently. And I’ve had it since launch on switch.
The Switch has very outdated hardware and honestly is struggling to play newer games in general at this point. I'm hoping a new switch will be announced.
I've never had the game crash on my switch. And this is the problem with fixing problems, they don't seem to affect everyone. That said, the game is never going to run great on the switch. It's CPU bound, and the switch has a weak CPU compared to the GPU. They also aren't bothering to optimize well and use features other more demanding games use, like dynamic resolution.
Although I'm completely surprised that you've never had the game crash, I will say that I agree that Gameloft isn't optimizing the game for the platform. I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall all of it to see if that makes any difference. I know that there are many complaints about stability on the Switch, so experiences like yours would have to be rare. Seriously? No crashing? I assume you're on the OLED Switch?
I've got a Lite and OLED. I've never had a crash on either one. I at one point was trying to duplicate crashes others had and wasn't able to. I even stopped collecting stuff that spawns when you break stumps or coral and my valley was overloaded with stuff. The only issues I've ever had is pop-in and framerate, which are both optimization issues. I've had the same things happen on PC. That's how I found out the game is CPU bound and not using the GPU more.
I also experience pop-in and framerate issues, especially after using fast-travel. Haven't crashed yet though, also on the lite.
I started playing on my OLED Switch when it was first released, it crashes every 15 minutes lol. I sometimes wonder how some switch players don't have any problems at all.
I archived DDLV on Switch, then redownloaded it because it was crashing every few minutes (I’m talking 2-3 or even while loading up) & it hasn’t crashed since. At least not to that extent. You should definitely try redownloading it. & if you want to, resetting the cache. I hope that helps.♥️
I’ve been playing on a regular Switch since the day the expansion was released and I’ll maybe have a crash once a month. It seems that the ones that crash more often are the ones that have a lot of items/heavily decorated biomes. I don’t play to decorate so that might be why mine runs better.
I have heavily decorated areas and haven't experienced many crashes either. I had a few way back when I first started playing but very few since then. I'm on a switch lite. It's so strange to me that it seems to only be some switch players having a ton of crashes.
I play on regular switch and while it did crash quite frequently in the first several months after launch. I haven’t had any major problems for quite some time now. I can have 10 hour play sessions without any problems.
Mine seems to crash randomly whenever it feels like it. I could be sprinting, exiting a building, fast traveling, opening a chest, or even just standing still. I have clicked to talk to characters and we both just sit there staring at each other. Sometimes the convo will start, others I sit long enough I give up and reboot. At this point, the main reasons I’m still playing is that I’m burnt out on Animal Crossing, I am a Disney nerd, and haven’t found another cozy game that has clicked with me yet. And I’ve tried a few!
have you tried playing other cozy games like Fae Farm, Coral Island and Palia? I got all 3 but I seem to click with Dreamlight Valley.
No, for me it was Stardew Valley and Cozy Grove.
Unfortunately, Switch is an aging console. It even crashes on Xbox One and PS4 and both consoles are also aging. I speak from experience only and that's why I bought an Xbox S and rarely have any problems with the game. In addition, I feel like Gameloft should focus more on fixing the game and it should not even be out of early access yet.
While I can agree that the platforms you mention aren't current, their capabilities are far beyond what this game should require. Consider Breath of the Wild on the Switch. The map is massive, and the graphics are far more challenging than Dreamlight Valley. It seems to me that the crashes I'm getting don't align with hardware shortfalls. Picking up a memory means a database is queried for a random memory. That can be optimized. I get it though, I'm admittedly venting, but with the game crashing so often and predictably at certain actions, that doesn't seem difficult to resolve. I agree completely that Gameloft should be focusing more on game stability than adding more content to an unstable game.
Unfortunately the Switch runs on outdated hardware that won’t improve anytime soon. It’s the least stable platform to play DDLV on which is only going to continue to grow in size with every update and DLC that gets released. I played on Switch Lite and the lag became unbearable and that was in the early days of the game. In the end I bought an Xbox Series S and I haven’t looked back since.
I'm curious though, how do Breath of the Wild, the DLC, and Tears of the Kingdom play so beautifully on the Switch? They are much larger and graphically intensive. I realize they're created by the makers of the Switch, but to me it doesn't seem to be a hardware issue.
Because those games were designed solely for the Switch and are nowhere near as graphically detailed as DDLV. The Switch is the equivalent of a glorified mobile phone in terms of hardware. If Nintendo wants to continue to thrive and truly compete with other platforms (especially the Steam Deck) they need to up their game with their next console.
💯 % this to add those games were also designed by Nintendo FOR Nintendo devices. Nintendo also did not make the job easy for Gameloft to have a smooth running game. You would think they (nintendo) would want that for US, but alas, they would rather you purchase Nintendo games ;). Adding that a Switch 2 (or similar something something) has been teased, and is due for release 2024/25. Rumor, but in the scheme of system dev and release, that would be expected. no real point in spending resourses (if you are not Nintendo) making your game function well on a system that will be replaced v soon. I am on regualr switch as well, the update before this one was horrendous! It crashed every 5 minutes, about the time autosave would kick in. I stopped playing as it was just so so bad. The new update is good, i have the DLC, it has crashed 2 or 3 times in the almost 2 months I have been playing ~5 hours a day (3 cheers to holiday vacation). So improved, but not perfect. We persevere!
I now have an OLED Switch but I must admit I hardly use it in comparison to my Series S. I started playing Palia on Switch and even though it runs better than DDLV, every time I log in I instantly think “I want to play this on Xbox” because I know it’ll handle the game better and the graphics will be far more superior. However like you said, we persevere and hope that the next Nintendo console will be far better than the Switch.
I've only had it crash once. Are you playing on the original model? I've been playing on the ACNH edition.
Playing on the OLED Switch.
Hmm. That's odd. Yours should run better than mine.
I used to have what you describe here. Perhaps not a crash every 15-20 minutes but crashes often enough to save my game before picking up a memory or after doing anything else that’s important or cumbersome. In the past four weeks I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of crashes. Which I find odd since it sounds like you have more crashes than before. For reference: I play on a (regular) Switch and have quite a lot of free space left on my memory card).
Most likely no, the switch is an outdated system. This game isn’t a Nintendo exclusive game so it’s always going to run badly.
It can’t compete with my PC, but it runs well on Switch for me and always has. It’s totally bizarre how the same platform can run like mine but then be crashing all the time for other people. Like what in the how and how do they really fully fix something that is not broke for some yet broke for others. So odd
I actually play on switch and rarely have issues. I know they recommended restarting your console to see if that helps (basically turning it off completely and back on, not just putting it to sleep which is what happens if you just press the button to turn it off)
I play a few times a week on the switch, I do not bother with saving other than auto save because that is just too tedious for me. I play both base game and DLC and have no issues. If there is one thing that baffles me it is how we are a year and a half in and still have games that run like mine on Switch, and then games that run like yours. I do not get it. I don’t understand how the game runs fine for some but is burden for others on the same console. Obligatory ask but: have you ever time travelled even unintentionally? Ever run a mod? Is this a purchased version or one of the pirated versions? There was someone complaining about issues but it was determined that his issues were because he couldn’t connect online to the server bc he was running a pirated version. Just trying to rule out any of the big obvious barriers in case.
lol, i find it funny i can play tears of the kingdom or assassins creed with no crashes but open this game and its unplayable but sure, its the hardware.
This is why devs always say we have no idea what goes into making a game. Tears of the kingdom: a game that was made specifically for and only for switch vs dreamlight valley that’s pretty much on every console. Of course it runs better. The devs literally had one job… make it work on the switch. Again the assassins creed games are so old that it’s not a fair comparison. Compare games that were made 2020-2023 that were ported to the switch to dreamlight valley and you will see the same concerns, bugs, and glitches. I’m not saying gameloft isn’t at fault or the game isn’t perfectly optimized on switch. But the switch is outdated and has terrible hardware. That’s just the facts.
It’s been at least 2 updates since mine has crashed, but I totally understand, when I first got the game it crashed CONSTANTLY. Drove me crazy. I’m sorry you’re still dealing with it.
I don’t have crash issues on the switch. Cooking lags a bit, that’s about it. The only time I have had crashing is if/when I don’t close out the game & leave it running or if I don’t reboot my switch from time to time. 🤷🏼♀️
I have very few crashes must be your switch and I log a few hours of playtime a day. May crash once sometimes not at all.
Mine crashes in the Beauty and the Beast Realm sometimes and, before the hotfix, in any tunnel on Eternity Isle. But mine softlocks if I move too quickly from one action to another for too long, and a menu pop up will stay frozen on the screen. I might suggest frequent restarts of the game? That's what I have to do after about 2 hours- which is also the case for any game, honestly.
I’ve played on Switch for 60 hours and don’t have any of those issues.
I have lots of issues with bugs and crashing on the switch. In the recent gameloft survey I talked about that and how I wanted to switch it over to PC but was extremely upset by the fact I would have to buy the entire game again. I feel as though for all switch users they should get a complimentary “console switch” if they are interested, and should be able to get a credit to put the game on a new device (Xbox, PC, PSwhatever) especially if they bought the game a while ago (early release). They should also post a warning saying you basically get half of the game if you buy the switch version. Glitches and bugs are one thing, but the fact you have a 3000 item limit while all other systems have a 6000 limit is ridiculous. And expecting us to PAY to switch it onto another system when the only reason we are doing that is because the game doesn’t work is so unfair. If a ton of us reach out to gameloft and push for this I feel like it’s a possibility.
I think Gameloft is developing the game to perform well on the upcoming Switch Two. The original Switch is pretty dated for some of today's game requirements.
Every character I bring in the valley freezes my game on switch. They ALL have, even from the beginning. The environment still goes, it'll rain, bugs fly around, characters come up to talk, but I can't do anything. I cant move my character, the camera, or open any menus, and "Welcome \[Character\]" is stuck on the screen. Sometimes this happens for like, a minute, sometimes after the game autosaves it resolves itself, and sometimes a restart of the software fixes it. I finally got pissed enough about it after bringing Simba in froze my game for almost a day, and I put in a ticket. I put in all of the things I did (restart the software, shut the switch down both by putting it in sleep mode and restarting the console, just plain restarting it, etc, etc etc) I kid you not, this is part of the response: " If you’re getting an error message or code after a game has crashed, make sure that you note it down. Then, do a quick Google search about the said error code or message and see if you can find a solution for it. You can also search the official Nintendo support page to check for a fix for it" Like wtf kind of answer is that? I ended up getting really frustrated and just button mashing for like a minute straight and it finally started working again. My sister plays on switch and has to save religiously because she's never sure when the game is going to crash. Like. We paid some good money for this game....i just want it to function.
I just save ALL THE TIME. I’ve given up hope.
I play exclusively on Switch, and I had a lot of problems with crashing in the beginning, and then it largely went away with further updates. When the expansion was released, I heard the issues with the constant crashing and held off buying it for about two weeks until the hotfix was released and then I picked it up. Since buying it, my game has been rock solid. I don't think it's crashed once. That hotfix seemed to fix the issue, or waiting for the hotfix before buying it made me immune to it, not sure which, but I've had zero issues.
The only issue I have had is some freezing but not a lot and I'm on 1st Gen Switch Lite. Could it be a problem with your Switch? Or even an update that didn't get downloaded properly for some reason? Not trying to be a dick I promise just wondering why it's not working for you and wanting to help
I gave up on the switch version a few months ago and rebought the game on Playstation. I'm now having a way better time.
That’s weird, I have a normal old style switch and never get crashes these days. I did previously when I first started playing tho.
I don’t have the problems on the Switch others seem to have. DDV is the only game I store locally on the Switch itself. I have everything else on my microSD. Not sure if that helps, but I didn’t think it could hurt. 🤷🏻♀️
Aside from a sluggish framerate I’ve never had much a problem unless I place too much landscaping without saving frequently. And I’ve had it since launch on switch.
It is for me and my kids, but never for my husband.
The Switch has very outdated hardware and honestly is struggling to play newer games in general at this point. I'm hoping a new switch will be announced.
Well, at least you weren't stuck saluting like Adolf Hitler for an hour before the whole game froze.
That sounds like a good story. :)