After 30 years, 2 never-before-released Virtual Boy games escape Nintendo jail on Switch, including a canceled F-Zero racer and a unique platformer from the Fire Emblem studio
Dragon Hopper is finally happening, three decades later
The Virtual Boy is coming this February, and boy, does Nintendo have quite the line-up of ye olde classics and some unexpected bangers alike – from Zero Racers to the platform's rare gems such as Virtual Boy Wario Land, there's plenty to look forward to.
A new overview trailer for the Virtual Boy and its accompanying Nintendo Classics dropped today, showcasing some of what fans can expect to experience come the revamped VR-esque device's release on February 17 this year.
There are seven games those brave, few players who played the Virtual Boy in the '90s might recall: 3-D Tetris, Galactic Pinball, Golf, The Mansion of Innsmouth, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, and last but certainly not least, Virtual Boy Wario Land.
That's not all, though. There are two other titles coming, too – two titles that were supposed to launch in the past (you know, nearly three decades ago now) but never actually came to fruition. First up is Zero Racers, the F-Zero racing game that would've stood as the first F-Zero installment to have featured 3D graphics in 1996.
We can probably expect high-speed tournaments and familiar figures like Captain Falcon, James McCloud, and Jody Summer.
Zero Racers isn't the only game finally releasing after almost 30 years in limbo – Dragon Hopper (now D-Hopper), the top-down action-adventure title developed by Fire Emblem studio Intelligent Systems that was axed following the original Virtual Boy's commercial failure, is underway as well.
Unsurprisingly, folks seem pretty excited about it following Nintendo's trailer. As one puts it, D-Hopper simply "IS that big of a deal."
There are also other features to anticipate with the Virtual Boy's return, like the ability to recolor games from the core black-red scheme to green, yellow, white, and perhaps even more. This works with the headset itself, too, granted you take the red filter out from in front of the lenses.
In other words, 2026 is shaping up to be both a nostalgia-inducing year and one with some never-before-seen goodies – fingers crossed it all delivers well this time.
Love a good oldie and goldie from time to time? Be sure to browse our roundup of the best retro games to play – or, alternatively, check out a few of the most exciting new games for something a bit fresher.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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