Two Cancelled Virtual Boy Games Join ‘Nintendo Classics’ Next Week
Nintendo will add two previously cancelled Virtual Boy games, Zero Racers and D-Hopper, to its Nintendo Classics subscription service on 4 August 2026. The release is notable because it makes abandoned titles officially playable, expanding the service’s preservation of Nintendo’s short-lived 1990s console.
The Virtual Boy app will also gain a screen-colour option, changed using the right control stick and L/R buttons. Nintendo has released a new Virtual Boy advert and added soundtracks from five Virtual Boy games to Nintendo Music, including Virtual Boy Wario Land and Mario Clash; Super Mario Sunshine is also due for the GameCube library in August.
In short
- Two cancelled Virtual Boy games arrive on 4 August.
- The app gains selectable screen colours.
- Five Virtual Boy soundtracks join Nintendo Music.
Explained simply
The Virtual Boy was a handheld games console released by Nintendo in the mid-1990s. It featured a distinctive red-and-black display viewed through a headset and attempted 3D graphics, but the console was short-lived and commercially unsuccessful.
During its brief existence, Nintendo commissioned several games that were never completed or released to the public. These unfinished titles were lost after the Virtual Boy was discontinued, remaining inaccessible to players for decades.
Nintendo now makes these cancelled games available through its digital services, allowing people to experience projects that might otherwise be forgotten. This reflects broader efforts by the gaming industry to preserve historical titles and keep them accessible to future audiences.
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