Nintendo caught everyone off guard this Wednesday, May 7, by announcing during a surprise Nintendo Direct the return of Star Fox on Switch 2. Simply titled Star Fox, the game is a full remake of Lylat Wars — known overseas as Star Fox 64 — and launches on June 25, 2026.

The Direct itself was announced only ten minutes before airing through a message from Shigeru Miyamoto, making it one of Nintendo’s most unexpected communications in quite some time. The franchise had been dormant since Star Fox Zero on Wii U in 2016, marking a ten-year absence.

A faithful remake, but expanded

The levels retain the structure of the original Nintendo 64 game, but feature completely overhauled visuals, reworked dialogue, and character designs that lean even further into their animal-inspired appearance. Numerous cinematics have been added, including brand-new briefing scenes between missions that expand the universe’s lore. Nintendo also ended the Direct with a prologue featuring James McCloud, Fox’s father — fully dubbed in French. This scene can be seen at the end of the video below.

New Switch 2 features

The game will support the Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, including a local co-op mode where one player handles piloting while the other controls aiming with mouse controls. Compatibility with the reissued Nintendo 64 controller for Switch Online subscribers has also been confirmed, alongside a competitive multiplayer mode and new in-game challenges.

Launching in one month

Star Fox will be available on June 25, 2026 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, priced at €49.99 for the digital version. Its announcement comes barely a month after the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, in which Fox McCloud plays a major role. A release timing that clearly seems carefully planned by Nintendo.

Sources: Nintendo-Difference, Journal du Geek, Kotaku