Nintendo is reviving one of its most infamous failed consoles, the Virtual Boy, bringing a number of its games to the Nintendo Switch Online lineup on 17 February 2026, alongside replicas of the original “VR” console required to run the games, and two previously unreleased titles later in the year.
Unveiled via a new trailer on YouTube, seven Virtual Boy titles, Teleroboxer, Galactic Pinball, RED ALARM, GOLF, Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3-D TETRIS, and The Mansion of Innsmouth will be available for both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 via the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service on 17 February, with seven more consisting of Mario Clash, Mario’s Tennis, Jack Bros, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, Vertical Force, and V-Tetris arriving later in the year.
Additionally, two unreleased titles, Zero Racer, a cancelled game in the 3D F-Zero franchise which was supposed to launch in 1996, as well as D-Hopper, a top-down adventure cancelled due to the console’s failure, are also set to be revived and will launch later in the year.
As dedicated “VR” titles, these classic games unfortunately will not be able to run on the base Nintendo Switch consoles themselves, instead requiring a separate purchase of one of two accessories, a Virtual Boy replica or the cheaper cardboard model, which will work with the Switch consoles to replicate the 3D effects. In addition, users will also need to purchase the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
With all the extra steps and accessories potential players need to purchase, it’s unlikely that these new titles will appeal to anyone other than those with nostalgic ties to the original Virtual Boy console. Still, it’s always nice to see a company making the effort to preserve its older games, even ones from a console that wasn’t successful. For now, there aren’t any plans to make the Virtual Boy game re-releases 2D for those who want to play them with only the base Switch consoles, but it remains to be seen if this will change in the future.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
