Star Fox on Switch 2: Release Date, Price, Demo, and Everything We Know

Star Fox is a 3D rail shooter coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2. Players take the cockpit of legendary ace pilot Fox McCloud as he leads the Star Fox mercenary squad against the maniacal Dr. Andross. Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare round out the team. The 2026 release ships with redesigned character models, all-new cutscenes, fully voiced dialogue, and a sweeping orchestral score.

Nintendo set a worldwide release date of June 25, 2026. Both the digital and physical versions go live the same day. Preorders opened back on May 7 alongside the surprise Star Fox Direct.

Star Fox runs $49.99 on the Nintendo eShop and $59.99 at retail. Japanese pricing sits at 5,480 yen digital and 6,480 yen physical. The download weighs in at 15.1 GB.

It's a full ground-up remake of Star Fox 64, the 1997 Nintendo 64 classic known as Lylat Wars in Europe. This makes it the second proper remake after Star Fox 64 3D shipped on Nintendo 3DS back in 2011. Velan Studios kept the original level structure but rebuilt visuals, cutscenes, dialogue, and music from scratch. A new Battle Mode multiplayer also expands the package beyond the original.

Switch 2 only. The game is a hard exclusive with no plans for the original Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series, or PC. The physical cartridge only boots on Switch 2 hardware.

Velan Studios is the development team. Based in Troy, New York, the studio was founded in 2016 by brothers Guha and Karthik Bala. Their resume includes Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which Nintendo also published. The Bala brothers previously ran Vicarious Visions, now Blizzard Albany. Nintendo handles publishing globally.

Star Fox is a classic on-rails shooter at heart. The Arwing barrels forward through cinematic stages as players lay down laser fire, drop bombs, and pull off the franchise's iconic barrel rolls and somersaults. Branching paths reshape the campaign route based on how players perform mission to mission. The big new wrinkle is Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming, which lets one Joy-Con sit on a table like a desktop mouse for precision targeting. The Nintendo 64 controller for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers is also supported.

3 vehicles return from the original. The Arwing handles air and space combat. The Landmaster is the all-terrain tank for ground missions. The Blue-Marine submarine returns for underwater stages. Each vehicle has its own controls and combat feel tied to specific stages.

A free Star Fox demo dropped on the Nintendo eShop on June 9, 2026. It covers the game's prologue, the Arwing flight tutorial, and a complete run through the Meteo Sector stage. Total playtime lands around 30 to 45 minutes depending on time spent in cutscenes. It's a solid way to test Joy-Con 2 mouse aiming before committing to the full purchase.