Nintendo Switch 2 is getting two previously unreleased Virtual Boy games on August 4
It’s time to enter the third dimension
🆕 Nintendo is bringing two previously unreleased Virtual Boy titles, Zero Racers and D-Hopper, to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 on August 4, 2026
😲 Originally slated for 1996, both games were cancelled following the discontinuation of the Virtual Boy console
👍 Players can access these titles by using a Virtual Boy accessory and maintaining a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription
🙌 These releases offer a unique opportunity for both video game preservationists and fans to experience long-lost titles
It’s easy to forget that you can now enjoy Virtual Boy games on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, but that hasn’t stopped Nintendo from bringing two previously unreleased titles to its online service.
Zero Racers and D-Hopper never saw the light of day, but they’ll be playable on August 4, 2026, for those who purchased the dedicated Virtual Boy accessory or the more affordable cardboard version.
Zero Racers, an F-Zero spin-off, was planned for a late 1996 release but was cancelled by Nintendo after it discontinued the Virtual Boy because of its poor sales. However, roughly 30 years after it was finished, it will be available to players for the first time.
Like Zero Racers, D-Hopper was also cancelled shortly before it was scheduled for release in August 1996. The action-adventure game developed by Intelligent Systems sees you navigate multi-layered stages that take advantage of the Virtual Boy’s stereoscopic 3D.
The release of two previously cancelled titles will please video preservationists and those who have invested in the Virtual Boy add-on. It’s also kind of amazing that we’re getting two new Virtual Boy games in 2026 – who’d have thought that would ever happen?
To access Virtual Boy games, you need to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber. Nintendo’s top-tier subscription also gives you access to GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis games, and select DLC packs.
Up next: Nintendo Switch Online finally gets the GameCube game we’ve all been waiting for
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.