Nintendo Switch’s Virtual Boy pays off with 2 newly released games

In the year 2026, Nintendo is releasing new games for the Virtual Boy. On Aug. 4, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners will be able to experience D-Hopper and Zero Racers for the first time through Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo added the Virtual Boy to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service in February of this year. It launched with seven titles and Nintendo announced that more, including previously unreleased games, would follow. On July 30, Nintendo finally revealed that D-Hopper (also called Dragon Hopper) and Zero Racers would be released in a matter of days.

Both unreleased titles were previously developed and scheduled for 1996 releases before Nintendo canceled the games due to the failure of the Virtual Boy.

D-Hopper is an action-adventure game in the vein of The Legend of Zelda series and was developed by Intelligent Systems (Fire Emblem, WarioWare). In it, players control a prince as he explores the world rescuing allies and preparing to defeat a corrupt politician. Pretty standard fantasy adventure stuff.

Zero Racers is an F-Zero racing title with two game modes, Grand Prix and Practice. The former lets you go through a circuit of races against opponents, while the latter lets you practice solo on any given track.

Honestly, the most interesting part of this announcement is that it was made by Nintendo in a trailer that has no right to be as cool as it is. In it, we see a man in a barren desert digging up a chest. The treasure within is, of course, a Virtual Boy. The man plays it, and we get some gameplay showing off the system’s signature red color palette. At the end, the shadow of what appears to be a giant sentient Virtual Boy looms over him. I don’t know what it means, and I don’t think I ever will. The trailer also revealed that Virtual Boy title soundtracks are now available on Nintendo Music.