Super Nintendo World finally opening next week after months of delays

Super Nintendo World
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Super Nintendo World in Japan has a new opening date, after many months of delays.

Universal Studios announced has confirmed that Super Nintendo World will finally be opening its doors to the public for the first time next week on March 18. You might remember that the theme park was first due to open last year alongside the now-postponed Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, and so many months later, Super Nintendo World is finally opening.

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The previous opening date for Super Nintendo World was last month on February 4, but due to COVID-19 spikes in Japan and a subsequent State of Emergency being declared in Osaka, where the theme park is based, it was pushed back indefinitely. This new opening date comes after the State of Emergency has been officially lifted in Osaka.

We've previously seen the sorts of things fans can expect in Super Nintendo World, thanks to a 15-minute virtual tour published late last year by Nintendo. We've seen the likes of augmented reality Mario Kart, Bowser's castle remade in gigantic scale, and arm bands that you can level up through games for rewards. There's even been some hints that Donkey Kong could eventually arrive in Super Nintendo World, but we'll have to wait and see if Universal Studios plans to expand the park.

As for everyone in the west, we'll apparently be waiting until 2025 to experience Super Nintendo World for ourselves. A previous report claimed that the Florida version of Super Nintendo World has now been pushed back to 2025 due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, so we're still a fair few years away from the stateside park opening up.

On the software side of things, head over to our upcoming Switch games guide for a complete look at everything Nintendo plans to launch over the next year.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.