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| Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics is now available for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. |
By Jon Scarr
Virtual Boy has officially arrived on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has launched Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members, giving you a way to play a set of stereoscopic 3D games from the 1995 system on modern hardware.
The app arrives alongside two dedicated Virtual Boy accessories that hold your console in place for the 3D view. Once you slot in your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch and start the app, you get the familiar red-and-black image without having to track down original hardware that is now three decades old.
Virtual Boy sits alongside the rest of the Nintendo Switch Online retro lineup. You access it the same way as NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and the other classic libraries included with the Expansion Pack tier.
Virtual Boy Accessories Built for Stereoscopic 3D
To see the 3D effect properly, you need one of the new Virtual Boy accessories sold through the My Nintendo Store. Nintendo is offering two versions.
The first is a plastic model that closely follows the look of the original Virtual Boy, complete with a stand and visor. You set it up on a surface, rest your eyes against the visor, and see the stereoscopic 3D display with your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 inside.
The second is a simpler cardboard viewer that works as a lower-cost way into the library. You slide your system into the front and look through the built-in lenses, in a style that feels similar to Nintendo’s past cardboard-based accessories.
Both accessories are sold separately and require a Nintendo Switch Online membership to purchase. You also need the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier active to open Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics. Nintendo lists Nintendo Switch Lite as unsupported, which lines up with how the accessory needs to sit in front of your eyes rather than be held like a handheld.
Launch Lineup for Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics
The launch version of Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics includes seven games, all running with the original stereoscopic 3D effect:
- Galactic Pinball – An outer space pinball game built around four different tables. You guide pucks across starfields, bounce off bumpers, and chase score multipliers as ships, asteroids, and alien touches pop in and out of the 3D depth.
- Teleroboxer – A first-person robot boxing game where every punch comes straight toward you. You watch for gaps in your opponent’s guard, slip around attacks that rush in from the foreground, and throw combinations with each arm in a futuristic teleroboxing tournament.
- RED ALARM – A wireframe shooter that puts you inside a Tech-Wing Fighter flying through the interior of an out-of-control battle network called KAOS. You fly through corridors, avoid obstacles, clear out drones, and gradually work your way to the core.
- Virtual Boy Wario Land – Wario crashes into an underground ruin and immediately goes hunting for treasure. You shoulder-charge enemies, search for hidden rooms, and hop between foreground and background layers while trying to escape with as much loot as possible.
- 3-D Tetris – A 3D take on block stacking that plays out in a deep well instead of a flat playfield. You rotate shapes in three dimensions and build complete layers, with extra modes that ask you to mirror patterns around the centre or match specific silhouettes.
- Golf – An 18-hole course that asks you to plan each shot by watching wind direction, distance, and terrain. You choose a club, set your aim, and swing through each hole, with Stroke Play available for practice and Tournament Play giving you a full field to climb past.
- The Mansion of Innsmouth – A horror adventure that originally only released in Japan. You play as a detective trapped in a sprawling mansion, searching each floor for a key, racing the clock, and trying to stay ahead of the monsters roaming the halls.
Nintendo has already said this is only the first wave. Later in 2026, Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics is set to pick up more games, including Mario Clash, Mario’s Tennis, Jack Bros., licensed sets such as Space Invaders Virtual Collection, and previously unreleased games like Zero Racers and D-Hopper finally getting an official launch.
Classic Virtual Boy Features With Modern Touches
Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics uses the same quality-of-life tools as the other Nintendo Switch Online apps. You can rewind gameplay if a run falls apart, create suspend points so you can save anywhere, remap controls, and adjust visual settings to find a view that suits you.
Nintendo also plans to add extra screen colour options later in 2026, so you will have alternatives to the original red-and-black look. That should help anyone who wants to see how these games play without committing to that full mid-’90s presentation every time.
Between the accessories, the app, and the updates already on the way, this is the most straightforward way to play Virtual Boy games in decades. If you have ever been curious about the original hardware, or you remember seeing it in magazines but never found one in stores, the new Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics app on Nintendo Switch Online finally gives you an easy way to see those stereoscopic 3D games running on current hardware.
Nintendo has also released a new trailer showing the accessories, the setup process, and gameplay clips from each launch title on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
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