Oh, banana! Donkey Kong 64 swings onto Nintendo Switch Online in June
So they’re finally here, performing for you
📆 Donkey Kong 64 will join Nintendo Switch Online on June 4
🍌 The Rare-developed game’s addition was considered unlikely, following other titles like GoldenEye 007
🎤 Released in 1999, it required the N64 Expansion Pak and features the iconic ‘DK Rap’
🐵 The game’s arrival adds to the recent Donkey Kong revival, which includes Donkey Kong Bananza and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Nintendo has announced that Donkey Kong 64 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online on June 4. As it’s an N64 game, you’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber to play it.
Donkey Kong 64 has been a long requested addition. Developed by Rare, it always seemed unlikely to come to Nintendo’s online service, even though it came to the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015.
However, Nintendo has clearly struck up a deal with Rare (or Microsoft, more specifically), as GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, were all recently added, despite many believing they’d never come.
Donkey Kong 64 required the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak, which doubled the console’s RAM from 4MB to 8MB, and it received positive reviews when it was first released in 1999. The game’s iconic ‘DK Rap’ opening also became a notable part of video game culture.
Donkey Kong has had a bit of a revival recently. Donkey Kong Bananza, which featured a redesigned DK, is easily one of the best Switch 2 games, and Nintendo also re-released Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for Switch. A LEGO Donkey Kong set has also been teased.
In other Nintendo news, a new mobile app is available called Pictonico, which turns your photos into WarioWare-like minigames. Nintendo also announced a new Star Fox game is coming to Switch 2 in July.
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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.