After nearly a decade away, Star Fox is back in the cockpit. Nintendo's long-rumored revival of the series launches today, June 25, 2026, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 - and it arrives not as a straight port but as a top-to-bottom reimagining of the beloved 1997 classic Star Fox 64, built by Velan Studios, the developer behind Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
The setup will be familiar to anyone who grew up doing barrel rolls on an N64 controller. The maniacal scientist Andross is once again bent on conquering the Lylat system, and only Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team - Falco, Peppy and Slippy - stand in his way. What has changed is everything around that premise: the game features a complete visual overhaul, a sweeping orchestral score and, for the first time, fully voiced cutscenes that lean hard into a cinematic, almost Star Wars-style presentation.
A reboot, not a remaster
Velan has kept the structure that made Star Fox 64 endlessly replayable - branching mission paths that reward skilled flying with tougher, more rewarding routes through the star system - while expanding level design, story beats and gameplay mechanics. Players still pilot the Arwing through on-rails dogfights and pull off the signature aerial maneuvers, barrel rolls and somersaults that shrug off enemy fire, but multiple playthroughs now open up new missions and varied challenges rather than simply rerouting you to a different boss.
The Switch 2 hardware also enables a few genuinely new tricks. The game offers optional mouse-controlled targeting using the Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode, giving players who want pinpoint aim an alternative to traditional stick controls. There is also a new GameChat integration that drops your face into the cockpit as your favorite Star Fox characters during online play.
Multiplayer takes flight
Perhaps the biggest addition is a dedicated 4-vs-4 multiplayer Battle Mode - a competitive arena layer the single-player-focused originals never had. It is a notable swing for a series that has historically been a solo affair, and it signals that Nintendo sees Star Fox as more than a nostalgia exercise.
Priced at $49.99, Star Fox undercuts the typical Switch 2 first-party release, and a free demo has been available on the eShop ahead of launch so players can try the opening missions before committing. Early previews have been warm, with several outlets praising the cinematic storytelling and the confidence of the new art direction - a promising sign for a franchise that has spent years searching for its footing. After Star Fox Zero's divisive motion controls in 2016, a clean, modern reboot built on solid fundamentals may be exactly what the series needed.
