Star Fox (Switch 2)

Star Fox is back, and it ranks among the better reasons to own a Switch 2. Velan Studios released it on 25 June 2026 as a ground-up remake of Star Fox 64: rebuilt stages and a new art style, with voiced cutscenes and an orchestral score. It is a Switch 2 exclusive and does not run on the original Switch.

For a portable audience the story is the controls, and the reviews have settled it. You aim by sliding a Joy-Con 2 across a surface like a mouse. That shines at a desk and in multiplayer, but it asks for a flat surface, it switches your view to a cramped cockpit camera the moment you start, and it offers no gyro option to fall back on. Hold the console in your hands on a train and you play with the buttons. The mouse is a tabletop and party feature, not the handheld default.

Game overview

Star Fox 64 was an on-rails space shooter: you fly the Arwing along set routes, shoot down waves of enemies, dodge obstacles, and take on a boss at the end of each stage, with branching paths that change which levels you see. This remake keeps that structure and rebuilds it, so the bones are the 1997 classic and the presentation is new.

Beyond the campaign there is a Challenge mode for solo score-chasing, a two-player co-op where one player flies and the other gates, and a competitive Battle Mode for up to eight players online. The co-op works on one console or online through GameShare, and the game supports Nintendo’s GameChat video. A day-one patch (version 1.1.0) switched on the Battle Mode and added an Easy difficulty to the campaign.

The reception landed around 82 on Metacritic, the second-best in the series. Critics praised a gorgeous remake that holds a locked 60fps, and marked it down for a short campaign that stays faithful to a fault.

Where you can play it

Switch 2 only. There is no PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or mobile version, and it does not run on the first Switch.

It plays in TV, tabletop, and handheld, so on paper it is a full portable title. It costs 49.99 USD as a download and 59.99 USD as a boxed copy, and there is a free demo on the eShop. Start with the demo, because the control scheme is the thing to test for your own setup before you buy.

Controls, and the handheld verdict

This is the section a portable player should read first, so it stands on its own.

The marquee feature is Joy-Con 2 mouse mode. You detach a Joy-Con 2, set it on a flat surface, and slide it, and the optical sensor maps the movement to your crosshair the way a mouse moves a pointer. At a desk it is precise, and in multiplayer it is the standout. Two catches turned up once reviewers had the retail game. The moment you engage mouse mode it flips the camera into a cockpit view, which several reviews flag for hurting visibility in the flight sections. And there is no gyro aiming, the obvious alternative for handheld, so a player without a desk has no motion fallback.

For handheld and travel, that leaves the standard scheme: stick to steer, buttons to fire, which reviewers describe as snappy and responsive. The game also supports the Switch 2 Pro Controller for docked play and the N64 Wireless Controller for a closer-to-the-original feel. The honest read is simple. This plays best on a TV or at a table, with the mouse for multiplayer and a controller for the campaign. In your hands on the move, it is a clean button-controlled shooter, and the headline feature sits on the shelf.

The free demo is the way to judge it. Play a stage in handheld with buttons and a stage at a table with mouse mode, and you will know within ten minutes which version of this game you are buying.

Cross-saves and keeping your progress

Short, because it is an exclusive. Save Data Cloud backup runs through Nintendo Switch Online, so your progress backs up and restores across Switch 2 consoles on your account. There is no cross-platform save to think about, since the game lives on one platform. Nintendo Switch Online is the only sync path, and it costs extra.

Features that matter on the move

• Handheld plays well with buttons. The stick-and-button scheme is responsive, and the on-rails stages are short, self-contained runs that suit a commute or a flight.
• Skip mouse mode on the go. It needs a surface and forces a cockpit view, and there is no gyro fallback, so it is a tabletop and multiplayer feature rather than a travel one.
• Cloud backup through NSO. Your progress is safe across consoles on your account, with an Online membership.
• A free demo. Rare for a first-party launch, and the right way to test the controls for your play style before buying.
• Battle Mode for downtime with friends. Up to eight players online, and the place where the mouse aiming pays off.

Recommended setup

If you play docked or at a table, the mouse aiming is the draw, and a flat surface beside you is the whole setup. For handheld and travel, plan on the button scheme, and pick up a Switch 2 Pro Controller for docked sessions where you want a comfortable pad over detached Joy-Cons.

Because the controls are the whole question with this one, start with the eShop demo. Play a stage in handheld with buttons and a stage in tabletop with mouse mode, and you will know which way you want to own it.

See our Steam Deck vs Switch 2 cornerstone for how the Switch 2 fits alongside a PC handheld, and the controllers guide for Switch 2 pad options if you would rather play on a controller than the Joy-Cons.

Verdict

Star Fox on Switch 2 is a real event: a proper remake of a classic, exclusive to the new hardware, reviewing around 82 with a locked 60fps and a short, faithful campaign. The control gimmick that led the marketing turned out to be a desk-and-multiplayer feature: mouse mode needs a surface, forces a cockpit view, and has no gyro fallback. For a portable player that settles it. Play it on a controller or at a table, treat the mouse as a multiplayer party trick, and try the free demo in handheld first so you buy it for the way you play.