He-he-here we go (Again)! 1999’s Donkey Kong 64 is headed to Nintendo Switch Online on June 4th, 2026! Just in time for the Switch 2’s 1-year anniversary (which is June 5th), the fabled DK64 comes to the N64 Online application in an as-is emulated state with full widescreen support and all the NSO McGuffins like button remapping and save states.
Before 2025’s Donkey Kong Bonanza, Donkey Kong 64 was DK’s only 3D platformer and pioneered the use of the original N64 expansion pack, which gave the system a whopping 8MB of RAM. For 1999, this was good stuff. The expansion pack was necessary because, and this isn’t a joke, Nintendo just… wanted it to be. The accessory was planned ahead of time and DK64 was the zesty guinea pig.
Update 5/30/2026: Edited out the portion where it states that the expansion pack was needed due to poor game optimization.
The platformer is generally well regarded, but the shift to the 2D DKC-style platforming was exchanged for a basic RARE-coded collect-athon aspect, which wasn’t popular with everyone. Still, it was an icon of its time and became immortalized as an icon of today with the famous DK Rap by George Andreas and performed by George Andreas by Grant Kirkhope.
If you don’t already have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription or let the old one lapse, you can sign up for as low as $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year. However, in order to enjoy Donkey Kong 64, the Expansion Pack add-on is required, which is bundled with the standard NSO subscription and is priced at $49.99 per year.
In addition to Nintendo 64 games, the NSO + Expansion Pack subscription includes access to GameCube games for Switch 2 owners, along with GBA, Sega Genesis, and Virtual Boy. Plus, Switch 2 owners get access to Upgrade Packs and add-ons for games like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and others.
C-ya next week for the full release of this gem! Donkey Kong 64 releases worldwide for the Switch and Switch 2 on June 4th, 2026!
2 Comments
The memory leak thing is an untrue rumor that the Internet has canonized. Do people really think that the people who made 2 Banjos, a Diddy Racer, a Conker, a Killer Instinct, and a GoldenEye didn’t know how to prevent memory leaks? It needed the expansion pack for it’s advanced effects.
Легендарный D64, да не гони! Donkey Kong Country, на Snes мдя, наделал шума! Donkey Kong Country Returns и Donkey Kong Contry: Tropical Freeze, крутые!