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Star Fox is back, and Nintendo revealed it in the most Nintendo way possible.
A random social media post appeared. Ten minutes later, a full Star Fox Direct was live. No countdown weeks earlier. No giant teaser campaign. Just Fox McCloud suddenly flying across Corneria again like the last decade never happened.
The new Star Fox launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25, 2026. It is a full remake of Star Fox 64, rebuilt with modern visuals, online multiplayer, co-op support, mouse aiming, and expanded story scenes.
And honestly, the reaction online has been chaos.
Some fans are thrilled the series finally exists again. Others cannot believe Nintendo remade Star Fox 64 yet another time.
Both reactions make sense.
This is now basically the fifth version of the same core story.
The original SNES game introduced the Lylat Wars. Star Fox 64 retold that story. Star Fox 64 3D revisited it again. Star Fox Zero reworked the formula on Wii U. And now Nintendo is back with another remake.
That frustration showed up everywhere online after the Direct.
“It feels like there are more Star Fox 64 remakes than original Star Fox games.”
- Reddit u/rendumguy
But Nintendo also probably knows this is the safest possible way to bring the franchise back.
The series has struggled commercially for years outside of Star Fox 64 itself. Star Fox Assault, Star Fox Command, and Star Fox Zero all split the fanbase in different ways. Meanwhile, Star Fox 64 remained the one game almost everyone agreed was great.
I think Nintendo is testing the waters here.
If this remake succeeds on Switch 2, then a completely new Star Fox game becomes much easier to justify internally. If it fails, the franchise probably disappears again for another decade.
That sounds dramatic, but look at the conversation happening around this reveal. Fans already see this game as a make-or-break moment for the series.
Nintendo rebuilt the game from the ground up.
Corneria, Zoness, Macbeth, Fichina, Sector Y. Every major location from Star Fox 64 returns with far more environmental detail and updated effects.
The remake includes:
And yes, you can still do a barrel roll.
The core gameplay still looks fast. Players can brake midair, boost forward, perform somersaults, and fly alternate mission paths depending on performance.
Landmaster tank missions and Blue Marine submarine sections also return.
I replayed Star Fox 64 on Switch Online a few months ago after years away from it, the speed still surprised me. This remake somehow looks even faster.
This is the section that could genuinely keep the game alive after launch.
Nintendo added a full 4v4 Battle Mode featuring Team Star Fox versus Team Star Wolf.
Three multiplayer objectives appeared during the Direct:
| Mode | Map | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Zone Control | Corneria | Capture sectors for points |
| Crystal Collection | Fichina | Gather crystals while avoiding hazards |
| Cargo Retrieval | Sector Y | Recover cargo before rival teams |
Players can join:
Honestly, arcade shooters are weirdly rare now. Nintendo leaning into objective-based dogfights feels smarter than I expected.
I would not be shocked if multiplayer becomes the main reason people keep playing after finishing the campaign.
Yes.
Nintendo confirmed split-screen co-op support during the Direct presentation.
One player controls the Arwing itself while the second player handles aiming and weapons using the new Joy-Con 2 mouse controls.
The game also supports the Nintendo Switch N64 controller.
Small detail. Smart detail.
After the messy control reputation of Star Fox Zero, Nintendo seems focused on making the game feel immediate again.
The gameplay footage looked polished.
The characters? That's where the internet exploded.
Nintendo gave Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy a more realistic design style inspired by older Star Fox artwork. Some fans love it. Others think the characters crossed into uncanny territory.
Falco became the main target almost immediately.
“Falco looks weird and Slippy is nightmare fuel.”
- Reddit u/joe1up
“The whole thing looks like a Jim Henson fever dream and I kind of love it.”
- Reddit u/SmackyTheFrog00
That second quote honestly captures the vibe perfectly.
In gameplay, the art style works much better. During close-up cutscenes though (especially around the eyes and mouths), things start feeling slightly off.
A lot of players also compared the designs to the original Sonic movie reveal.
Look, I don't think the designs are disastrous. But Nintendo absolutely underestimated how attached people were to the older Star Fox look.
Several fans noticed something important during the Direct.
Nintendo repeatedly referenced Fox McCloud's appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and that probably explains why this remake exists now.
A huge part of the audience discovering Star Fox in 2026 has never played the N64 version.
That's easy to forget if you grew up with it.
The 3DS remake launched fifteen years ago. Star Fox Zero released on Wii U, which means a massive number of younger Nintendo players simply skipped it entirely.
So while longtime fans see “another remake,” Nintendo probably sees a franchise reboot.
And honestly, the strategy makes sense even if parts of the fanbase are exhausted by it.
Nintendo confirmed a separate Challenge Mode with:
That matters because Star Fox 64 was always short.
Really short.
You could finish it in around an hour once you knew the routes. Replayability carried the entire experience.
I think Nintendo understands that better than people realize. The remake seems designed around repeated runs instead of one massive cinematic campaign.
Different mindset. Different audience.
Nintendo uploaded the official Star Fox Direct presentation shortly after the stream ended.
The game is also listed on the Nintendo eShop with a reported digital price of $50.
Nintendo also confirmed:
The AR filter feature is extremely Nintendo in the best possible way. Players can literally appear as Fox or Falco during GameChat conversations with moving facial expressions and animated beaks.
Weird? Absolutely.
But I can already picture TikTok clips flooding social media the week this launches.
This remake feels like Nintendo trying to answer one question.
Does Star Fox still matter?
I think the answer is yes, but Nintendo also created the exact problem fans keep complaining about. The company spent years replaying the same story instead of pushing the series forward.
Still, this looks far more polished than Star Fox Zero, and the multiplayer honestly surprised me.
The safest version of this project would have been a basic visual remake with nostalgia bait attached to it. Nintendo clearly spent more money than that.
And if this game actually lands with younger Switch 2 players, I think a fully original Star Fox sequel suddenly becomes very real.
That is probably the bigger story hiding behind this entire reveal.
