Star Fox Launches on Nintendo Switch 2 June 25 as a Remake of Star Fox 64

Star Fox is out now on Nintendo Switch 2. It's a remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 classic, costs $49.99, and scores 81 on Metacritic. If you own a Switch 2 and like action games, this is the clearest buy on the platform right now.

Velan Studios handled the remake, with Nintendo publishing it as a Switch 2 exclusive. The core game is the same on-rails shooter you remember: Fox McCloud and his squad fly through the Lylat System, blasting enemies in their Arwings while General Pepper barks orders from the ground. Every level from the original is here. The big differences are fully voiced dialogue that replaces the original's garbled speech, a complete visual overhaul, and an orchestral score replacing the MIDI soundtrack. The original Star Fox designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, reportedly got emotional watching the new cutscenes during development.

The biggest addition for 2026 is multiplayer. You can hand a Joy-Con 2 to someone nearby and they join your Arwing as a co-pilot gunner, either on your couch or online via GameShare. Beyond co-op, there is a separate online versus mode built for dogfighting. Up to four players go head to head in Arwings. Reviews from Nintendo Life and others call it addictive and surprisingly deep for a game this short. The campaign itself runs around two to three hours, same as the original. The multiplayer is what gives it legs.

At $49.99 digital, this sits below the standard $69.99 Switch 2 launch price. Physical copies are $49.99 as well. Nintendo has not announced any DLC or editions. You buy the game, you get the whole thing. If you are on the fence, the 81 Metacritic score (82 on OpenCritic, 86 percent recommend) is a reliable signal that this is a quality release. It is not trying to be a 20-hour game. It is a tight, polished two-to-three-hour ride that you will probably replay a handful of times and then jump into multiplayer.

Why it's blowing up right now

Three things stacked on top of each other in a short window. Nintendo held a dedicated Star Fox Direct on May 6, 2026, which racked up 3.2 million YouTube views and caught fans completely off guard. Fox McCloud then showed up as a cameo in the Super Mario Galaxy movie, putting the character in front of a massive non-gaming audience. Then the game launched June 25 as one of the Switch 2's early exclusives, right when the new hardware is in everyone's hands. Search interest peaked the day after launch. The multiplayer dogfight mode is generating its own word-of-mouth separately, with Mashable comparing it to "Mario Kart for dogfighting." That kind of specific praise travels fast.