Nintendo Direct revealed a new Star Fox game today, with a focus on the project set for 6 PM ET.
Shigeru Miyamoto kicked off the presentation by thanking fans for watching The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, then announced the inclusion of Fox McCloud from the Star Fox series.
Miyamoto revealed that the new game is simply called Star Fox before handing the reins to Yoshiaki Koizumi.
Koizumi reveals it is based on Star Fox 64 with redone visuals and new character models. The stage layouts remain the same, but with upgraded visuals and tons of banter among the cast.
The Direct begins by introducing the team, including Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Peppy Hare, along with their individual roles. They must save the Lylat System with the help of the Arwing, a high-performance aerospace fighter.
We see the ship’s capabilities, including lasers, charged shots, bombs, brake, boost, somersault, and barrel roll. The Star Fox Direct also shows the Landmaster, an agile ground-assault vehicle for use on planets and the Blue-Marine, an exploratory submersible.
Players explore the Lylat system, including Corneria, Fichina, Solar, and Zoness. We also see an asteroid belt, the inside of a nebula, Sector Y, and more stages are expected.
In the Direct, we see how your approach to battles affects your exploration, depending on whether you succeed or fail. The route through the system changes leading to different outcomes. You can replay stages to take a new approach and uncover new cutscenes, too. This means new mission briefings and character conversations.
Star Fox includes a challenge mode with a variety of challenges to complete. In Sector Y, you must find and defeat the lone red Shogun Trooper, score 100 hits, destroy 12 panels on the sides of enemy ships, form a four-ship formation with Star Fox teammates, uncover a hidden item, and more. Each challenge can be completed on normal or expert modes.
Battle Mode puts players in 4-vs-4 dogfights where you play on either Team Star Fox or Team Star Wolf. You compete to earn the most points and take down enemies. There are three stages, each with its own rules: in Corneria, you take out opponents and seize control of the zones around satellite towers; in Fichia, you collect energy crystals while dodging meteorites. In Sector Y, you work to retrieve cargo and return it to your base.
Nintendo says you can create private matches with friends online or match up with random players worldwide. GameShare is available, and only one person needs to own the game locally to play with up to three other players, or to play online via GameChat.
Mouse targeting is included for those who want to use it. There’s also co-op, where two players can share two Joy-Con 2 controllers and play through the campaign locally. One player controls the pilot while the other controls the Gunnar.
You can also customize an avatar for GameShare to look like any character from Star Fox. Nintendo also confirmed the Nintendo 64 Controller for the Switch is compatible.
Star Fox launches for the Switch 2 on June 25, 2026.
