Nintendo dug up Virtual Boy and made it playable in 2026

The Virtual Boy has spent decades as a meme. Now, however, Nintendo is going to allow players to figure that out on their own. Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics will allow players to enjoy titles from the Virtual Boy such as Tetris 3-D and Wario Land for the Nintendo Switch online service (with a few additional titles to follow through 2026). Although players may have thought about numerous titles, this will be the first time that Nintendo will allow players to be able to enjoy some of their most peculiar ideas once more.

For those who did not have a chance to experience the Virtual Boy firsthand or just know it from being a punchline in Nintendo history, there is no easier way to be able to enjoy those games the way they were designed to be played.

Multiple ways to play including one many already own

Nintendo is rolling out a couple of new accessories alongside the latest Virtual Boy titles, and they're pretty interesting. There's a $99.99 plastic recreation of the original Virtual Boy table-top (because, why not?) that's been built to look and feel as close to the original as possible. And then there's a cardboard headset that'll let you get in on the stereoscopic visuals for a mere $24.99, basically the cheapest way to give Virtual Boy a whirl.

But there's also a 3rd option that Nintendo isn't making a huge fuss about. If you already have a Nintendo Labo VR headset (remember those from 2019?), the good news is that it'll also support the Virtual Boy classics pack as long as you've still got the thing kicking around. That was confirmed by a Nintendo Treehouse staffer, Corey Olcsvary, during a preview last January. It's worth noting that Labo VR kits aren't being sold anymore, so Nintendo isn't going to be touting it as a main option.

The upshot for players who still have a Labo VR set intact is that they can dive into the Virtual Boy games for no extra cash, besides that Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

How the games actually feel today

Hands-on demos made it pretty clear that the experience is more like a nostalgic time capsule for better or worse. Games like 3-D Tetris and Red Alarm are still a whole lot of fun, thanks to that depth and simple visuals that pull you in and keep you in an arcade-style groove. Then there are games like Galactic Pinball and Teleroboxer, which feel more like experimental abandon, kind of like back when Nintendo was just starting to test the waters rather than nailing down the formula.

By the way, the recreated Virtual Boy hardware does a great job of blocking out the light, and they've swapped out the original wired pad for a Pro Controller so you can play with a bit more freedom. It all looks and feels pretty smooth too, with no eye strain in sight, unlike the original console. Still, the games themselves are undeniably from another time. These are definitely ones to whip out for a spin every now and then, more to see how they held up and appreciate the retro vibe rather than getting immersed in them all day long.

Why This Mattered to Players All Over Again

Nintendo has got a plan to put out no fewer than 14 Virtual Boy games by the end of 2026, with Zero Racer, a racing game, making a belated appearance that was seemingly too cool for the mainstream the first time round. For any serious collector and Nintendo history buff out there, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their hands on titles that were previously either way too pricey or impossible to get ahold of legally.

To put it bluntly, Nintendo has made it a heck of a lot easier for people to get in on the Virtual Boy fun. By quietly giving Labo VR a nudge, they've turned a relatively obscure accessory into an entry point to the world of retro gaming. And the best part? You don't need some rare, over-the-top piece of hardware or ridiculous resale prices to be able to play these games. That's a big deal.

This little revival effort probably won't turn Virtual Boy into a full-blown phenomenon, but at the very least it should give those games a fair shot at being loved by modern gamers, something they've been sorely missing out on up to now.

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