Amidst the release of what seems like an endless stream of uber serious games filled with sad dads and high stakes, it can sometimes be easy to forget that – at their core – video games are meant to be fun.

Goat Simulator 3 is a game that understands this to a tee, trading any modicum of introspective social commentary for pure, unadulterated silliness. Packed with hilarious antics, environmental puzzles to solve and an endless stream of self-aware references, it’s a laugh-a-minute romp that had me engrossed from the moment I hit play.

Initially released back in 2022, this high praise won’t be new information to those who’ve already experienced what Goat Simulator 3 has to offer. However, while Coffee Stain Studios released a version of its game on Nintendo Switch at the time, the dated hardware offered a less than lacklustre experience.

Fast forward a few years and we’ve got the Nintendo Switch 2 in our hands with vastly more powerful internals and a much better portable screen. So, how does Goat Simulator 3 fair on the Nintendo Switch 2, and is it worth picking up for a second romp through the fields?

Embrace the whimsiness of being a silly little goat

Goat Simulator 3 sets the tone immediately with the opening credits referencing everyone’s favourite Skyrim meme as you wake up from a deep sleep on the back of a wagon. As the farmer that bought you rambles on, you’re rewarded for both listening to his hilariously written dialogue, or by skipping it altogether – either option acknowledges that Goat Simulator 3 is very much a video game that’s meant to be played rather than dissected.

After this brief dialogue, Coffee Stain gets completely out of the player’s way, letting you explore the pretty large island as you see fit. Markers on your map indicate various random encounters, each of which you’ll have to figure out how to solve using your limited goat moveset.

Armed with not much more than a headbut and a remarkably sticky tongue, you’ll perform tasks such as fishing with dynamite, or helping a farmer fix his combine harvester. These may sound like menial tasks, but the absurd nature of how these objectives are completed turn relatively straightforward missions into frequently hilarious endeavours.

There are also smaller ‘feats’ to accomplish as you explore the island available to you. These can be as simple as headbutting a certain number of NPCs or performing a series of front flips – but they mean that there’s always something to be doing while you’re pottering about town looking for your next task.

Goat Simulator 3 is a game that rewards you for just taking part, regularly awarding scores for completing flips, headbutting passers by and much more. As you continue to tick off tasks on the map, you’ll upgrade the level of your secret base accessed from mysterious towers around the map.

Cosmetic items and utility gadgets are also rewarded frequently with the more ‘off-the-wall’ unlocks rewarded to those who really venture off the beaten path. I was particularly fond of an Eye of Sauron attachment that I unlocked after delivering a ring to the island’s volcano which allowed me to shoot fireballs at NPCs with every bleat.

A delightfully uncontrollable jetpack also gave me far more laughs than it ought to have as I wrestled with it to navigate the island. It wasn’t efficient in the slightest, but it brought a smile to my face, so who’s really winning?

How does Goat Simulator 3 fare on Switch 2?

Comparing Goat Simulator 3 on Nintendo Switch 2 versus the preceeding console is night and day. Everything from textures to lighting is drastically upgraded here, not to mention the much higher internal resolution that reduces the amount of jagged edges drastically.

Perhaps most importantly is that the frame rate is now acceptably stable, which goes a long way towards making Goat Simulator 3 actually pleasant to play. It still has its moments when things get chaotic, don’t get me wrong – but it feels like you’re playing a game on an actual modern piece of hardware rather than an archaic relic of the past.

I mostly played in handheld mode and was particularly impressed with the HDR presentation on the Switch 2’s portable screen. Again, don’t go expecting graphics rivalling Red Dead Redemption 2, but it’s more than acceptable for a game that puts such an emphasis on its gameplay over its visual presentation.

Gamers who already own Goat Simulator 3 on Switch can enjoy a heavy 70% discount on the Switch 2 version, which is great to see. This effectively results in a £8.09 upgrade fee.

Personally? The performance upgrades alone make this fee worth it as it essentially makes the game playable in the first place.

It was disappointing that gamers ended up with the inferior version on Switch in the first place, so the upgrade fee may be a bitter pill for some to swallow. However, if you’re serious about squeezing everything out of Goat Simulator 3 on a handheld device, I’d argue the Switch 2 version is the best way to achieve that right now.

4/5

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2. Code provided by the publisher for review.