New Switch Exclusive Announced for July 18

08.05.2024 - 19:53 / gamerant.com / Dalton Cooper / Nintendo

Following last week's leak, Nintendo has officially announced Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, coming to the Switch on Thursday, July 18. Prior to the reveal of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, the second-half of 2024 was looking incredibly bare for the Switch. In fact, there are only a couple of upcoming Switch exclusive games with confirmed release dates at the time of this writing.

The Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door remake is releasing May 23, while Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is releasing June 27. Otherwise, there isn't much for Nintendo Switch gamers to look forward to in the near future. Nintendo is expected to pull the curtain back on its plans for the Switch's second-half of 2024 at the big Nintendo Direct in June, but in the meantime, fans at least have a new game to look forward to in July.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, a new version of the ultra-rare Nintendo World Championships game, is coming to the Switch on Thursday, July 18. This new version of the classic game is a mini-game compilation featuring challenges based on some of Nintendo's most beloved NES titles. Examples include racing to get the Super Mushroom in Super Mario Bros., fighting enemies in The Legend of Zelda, and rushing to a gate in Metroid. The game will have 13 different NES games represented by over 150 challenges, online leaderboards, and an 8-player party mode. And yes, it is compatible with the Switch NES controllers.

Switch gamers will have the choice between a digital version of the game or a physical Deluxe Set version that comes with some extra goodies. The digital version will retail for $29.99, while the physical version costs $59.99. It comes with a replica gold cartridge complete with sleeve, 13 art cards, and five pins along with a cartridge of the game itself. While some may still find the $59.99 price tag a little steep, hardcore NES enthusiasts may not be able to pass up the physical Deluxe Set.

With Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition leaked ahead of its announcement, one has to wonder if Nintendo had always planned to announce the game now or if it was originally going to be saved for the June 2024 Direct. As it stands, all fans know about the June 2024 Nintendo Direct is that it will not feature the Switch 2 console, and will instead focus entirely on Switch software, particularly games that are coming out in the second half of 2024. Regardless, Nintendo fans can pre-order Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition now.

A late addition to the eighth console generation, the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid platform that can be experienced as a home or portable system. Launching with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the platform has amassed a wide selection of triple-A