Nintendo has officially announced that Donkey Kong 64 is joining the NINTENDO 64 Nintendo Classics library, available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The game Donkey Kong 64 is listed for June 3 in some North American coverage and June 4 in Japan and other regions, so availability may depend on your region. Either way, one of the most iconic collectathon platformers of the N64 era is returning to a Nintendo platform for the first time in years.
This is not a remake, remaster, or Switch 2 exclusive. It is the original N64 game, playable through the Nintendo Classics app.
What Tier Do You Need
Standard Nintendo Switch Online does not include access to the N64 library. You need the higher-tier Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. The N64 Nintendo Classics collection sits entirely behind that tier, which also includes the Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis libraries.
If you are already an Expansion Pack subscriber, Donkey Kong 64 will be available at no additional cost.
What Donkey Kong 64 Actually Is
Donkey Kong 64 was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, originally released for Nintendo 64 in 1999. It was DK’s first major 3D adventure and remains one of the most ambitious — and demanding — platformers of its generation.
The game features five playable Kongs: Donkey, Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky. Each has unique abilities and weapons, and most of the game’s content is gated behind which Kong can access which area or item. Across eight large worlds, players collect Golden Bananas, colored bananas, blueprints, Battle Arena crowns, and Banana Fairies. The primary antagonist is King K. Rool, and the Kremlings return as the main enemy faction.
The Expansion Pak Parallel
The original Donkey Kong 64 required the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak to run, and the game is closely associated with that hardware add-on. The Expansion Pak was a RAM upgrade accessory that plugged into the top of the N64 console.
Now, in 2026, the game that required a hardware Expansion Pak requires Nintendo’s Expansion Pack subscription tier. The parallel is hard to miss for longtime players — it creates an amusing full-circle detail that follows the game across 27 years.
Playing It on Nintendo Switch 2
The N64 Nintendo Classics app has Nintendo Switch 2 compatibility. On Switch 2, Nintendo has added a CRT filter and a Rewind function to the app. The CRT filter approximates the scanline look of original CRT televisions. On Switch 2, Rewind may soften some frustration, but the game itself remains the original N64 release.
The wireless Nintendo 64-style controller Nintendo sells for Switch Online members is compatible with both Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Nintendo Switch.
Donkey Kong 64 last appeared on a Nintendo platform through the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015. The Wii U release had limited reach compared with Nintendo’s later hardware, Nintendo reports Wii U lifetime sales of 13.56 million units. For the better part of a decade, playing DK64 legally meant tracking down original hardware or relying on that aging digital purchase.
There is also a broader franchise context. Nintendo launched Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo’s modern 3D Donkey Kong entry for Switch 2, reviving the 3D DK format for a new generation. With DK64 now in Nintendo Classics, players can experience DK’s 1999 3D debut and Nintendo’s modern 3D Donkey Kong adventure on Switch 2.
Is Donkey Kong 64 Worth Playing in 2026
It depends on what you want from it.
DK64 is historically significant, DK’s 3D debut, a major technical achievement from Rare at the end of the N64 era, with distinct biomes, memorable boss fights, and an enormous amount of content. The Jungle Japes theme alone is embedded in the memory of an entire generation.
But it is also a dense, sometimes exhausting collectathon. Each of the five Kongs must collect their own color-coded items separately, meaning the same locations are revisited multiple times with different characters. Late-game progression can feel like archaeology, hunting through areas you’ve already cleared to find the last item you missed. By modern 3D platformer standards, the pacing is slow and the backtracking is significant.
If you have never played it, it is worth experiencing. If you found it oppressive in 1999, the NSO version does not change the game itself, though on Switch 2, Rewind at least reduces the cost of individual mistakes.
Donkey Kong 64 joins NINTENDO 64 Nintendo Classics on June 3–4, 2026 depending on region. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership required.
