One of 2025’s strangest announcements from Nintendo was the return of the Virtual Boy, a hardware (and software) failure that’s been reappraised over the years. Many gamers have a soft spot for it, however, so its inclusion in Nintendo Switch Online’s offerings probably was an easy decision to make as the video game giant looked to spice the subscription up. Now we have access to the full roster of games available at launch and teases of more to come.
Via the Nintendo Today app and later YouTube (watch the video below), Nintendo released a new trailer that runs for almost four minutes and details the games coming on 17th February, other classics arriving at a later date, and even two previously unreleased titles.
Teleroboxer, Galactic Pinball, RED ALARM, GOLF, Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3-D TETRIS, and The Mansion of Innsmouth lead the red charge next month, with Mario Clash, Mario’s Tennis, Jack Bros, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, Vertical Force, and V-Tetris coming later. Features like different rendering colours besides red, customisable controls, and rewind are part of the rollout plans too.
The two previously unreleased games are Zero Racers, a cancelled 3D F-Zero instalment originally meant to launch in 1996, and D-Hopper (originally Dragon Hopper), a top-down action-adventure game that was completed but also shelved in 1996 due to Virtual Boy’s commercial failure.
Though many have expressed disdain for Nintendo’s second attempt at making the Virtual Boy happen, it appears nostalgia might make this whole endeavour a success. In any case, it’s refreshing to see a major publisher actually make an effort to preserve old games which weren’t financially successful.
If you want to check these out for yourself, you’ll need, on top of a Nintendo Switch system (it doesn’t matter which), a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership plus one of the two accessories set to launch on 17th February: the Virtual Boy replica or the cheaper cardboard model, both of which work alongside the hybrid consoles to create the original 3D effects. At the time of writing, there are no plans to make these re-releases available in 2D.
