Nintendo's Lost Virtual Boy Games Zero Racers and D-Hopper Finally Arrive on Switch Online in August 2026

On July 30–31, 2026, Nintendo announced a two-wave August update for Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers: Zero Racers and D-Hopper will launch on the Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics app on August 4, followed by Super Mario Sunshine joining the GameCube library on August 13. Both Virtual Boy titles were fully developed but cancelled in 1996 when the Virtual Boy was discontinued, and this marks their first official release nearly 30 years later .

The Two Long-Cancelled Virtual Boy Games

Zero Racers

Originally titled G-Zero (renamed to Zero Racers by mid-1996), this was an F-Zero spin-off planned for a Fall 1996 North American release. It was reportedly finished but scrapped when Nintendo discontinued the Virtual Boy due to abysmal sales .

Zero Racers would have been the first F-Zero entry with 3D graphics — a futuristic anti-gravity racing game featuring four playable characters: Captain Falcon, Samurai Goroh, James McCloud, and Jody Summer. Notably, McCloud and Summer were originally slated to debut in this game but ended up appearing first in F-Zero X on N64 after Zero Racers was cancelled . The game was developed internally by Nintendo . It was previewed in Nintendo Power and shown at E3 1996 . A former Nintendo staff member confirmed the game was complete .

D-Hopper (originally Dragon Hopper)

An action-adventure game developed by Intelligent Systems (the studio behind Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, and WarioWare). It was cancelled in 1996 due to the Virtual Boy's commercial failure . The original "Dragon Hopper" trademark was claimed by a Malta-based gambling company in March 2024, forcing Nintendo to shorten the title to D-Hopper for the re-release .

D-Hopper was a 3D action-adventure title with an announced American price of $34.95 and a planned release date of August 26, 1996 . It was shown at Space World 1995 and E3 1996 . It's believed to be one of only two Virtual Boy titles (alongside Bound High!) to have been fully completed before cancellation .

Pricing and Availability

Both games are included at no extra cost within the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. The Expansion Pack costs $69.99/year and is required to access the Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics app . The games are not sold individually . They are playable on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 .

Additional Virtual Boy Service Update

Alongside the two games, the Virtual Boy app is receiving a screen color customization feature (also announced earlier in 2026), allowing players to change the classic red-and-black display filter . This was first teased in January 2026 when Nintendo announced it was reviving these two lost Virtual Boy titles for the service .

Super Mario Sunshine on GameCube Library

Super Mario Sunshine (originally released for GameCube in 2002) will be added to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack GameCube library on August 13, 2026 . Notably, the GameCube app is currently only available on Nintendo Switch 2, not the original Switch — so Sunshine requires a Switch 2 to play .

Timeline Summary

Date	Event
Aug 4, 2026	Zero Racers and D-Hopper launch on Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics (Switch & Switch 2)
Aug 4, 2026	Virtual Boy app screen color filter update goes live
Aug 13, 2026	Super Mario Sunshine joins GameCube – Nintendo Classics (Switch 2 only)