“Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics” service launches on February 17 with 7 games
Nintendo began streaming on Tuesday a trailer for its upcoming “Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics” app for its “Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack” paid membership service, and it reveals that the previously unreleased Zero Racers and D-Hopper games will launch for the first time on the service in 2026. The video also unveils the launch games, button remapping options, rewind and save states, and optional screen color variations.
The screen color variations include the default red, Game Boy yellow, green, and gray. This feature will launch later this year.
The seven games launching with the service are:
- Galactic Pinball
- 3D Tetris
- Teleroboxer
- Virtual Boy Wario Land
- The Mansion of Innsmouth (Innsmouth no Yakata, previously unreleased in the West)
- Golf
- Red Alarm
The “Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics” service will launch for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on February 17, alongside a physical Virtual Boy accessory that costs US$99.99 and a Cardboard Model of a Virtual Boy that costs US$24.99. Either one is required to play the games.
Nintendo will release the following games on the service over time, which will complete the majority of the Virtual Boy’s 22-game library. This includes games that previously unreleased in the West, as well as the never before released games Zero Racers and D-Hopper:
- Mario Tennis
- Jack Bros.
- Vertical Force
- Mario Clash
- Virtual Bowling
- Space Invaders Virtual Collection
- V-Tetris (previously unreleased in the West)
- Zero Racers (previously unreleased)
- D-Hopper (previously unreleased)
Nintendo released the Virtual Boy portable console in 1995. Through a system designed after binoculars, the Virtual boy allowed for stereoscopic 3D graphics with a red display. The console historically did not sell well, and Nintendo discontinued it after a year. The company has never rereleased the games in full until the Nintendo Classics collection on Switch and Switch 2. Nintendo rarely mentioned the system, only referencing in games like Tomodachi Life and the WarioWare series.
Sources: Nintendo’s YouTube channel
