Donkey Kong 64 is finally arriving on Nintendo Switch Online – Nintendo has confirmed the 1999 N64 classic hits the service on June 4, 2026, exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members via the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics library app. It’s one of the most-requested holdouts in the service’s entire N64 catalog, and after years of fan campaigns and dataminer speculation, it’s actually happening.
Developed by Rare and originally launched as a marquee N64 title in late 1999, Donkey Kong 64 is a sprawling collectathon platformer with 5 playable characters – Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong – each with their own abilities and upgrades, and over 3,800 individual collectibles spread across its worlds. It also supports 4-player split-screen multiplayer in competitive battle arenas, though additional accessories may be required and are sold separately. Fair warning: you’ll need the Expansion Pack tier specifically – base Nintendo Switch Online membership won’t cut it here.
Here’s the context: Since the N64 app launched on Switch Online in 2021, Donkey Kong 64 has been conspicuously absent while other titles with complicated licensing histories – including Rare‘s own Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye 007 – made it onto the service. Fans long suspected that rights complexity around Rare‘s involvement and the infamous DK Rap were holding things up, and the game had only seen one prior re-release – on Wii U Virtual Console back in 2015. Nintendo has been methodically assembling a near-complete Donkey Kong legacy lineup on Switch Online, with Donkey Kong Country 1–3 on the SNES app and Donkey Kong Land 1–3 on the Game Boy app already in place – as covered in our breakdown of the May 2026 Expansion Pack update – making this the final major piece of that puzzle.
Here’s the real read: Donkey Kong 64‘s arrival signals that Nintendo is genuinely willing to work through messy licensing and technical headaches to round out the Expansion Pack catalog rather than just drip-feeding safe, uncomplicated picks. A game that reviewed at 90 on Metacritic and sold over 2.3 million copies at launch has obvious draw – but the fact that it took this long suggests the behind-the-scenes lift was real. For Expansion Pack subscribers who’ve been watching the N64 library fill out, this is a meaningful addition rather than a routine nostalgia drop. If you’re still weighing whether the Switch ecosystem makes sense for you right now, our practical breakdown of Switch vs Switch 2 is worth a read before committing to a subscription tier.
Donkey Kong 64 goes live on June 4, 2026. Datamined N64 app assets also point to further additions on the horizon – Forsaken 64 and Glover have both surfaced in prior leaks – so the Expansion Pack catalog may have more surprises queued up.
Did you put hours into Donkey Kong 64 on the original N64, or will this be your first time diving into all those Golden Bananas? And does an addition like this make the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack price feel justified to you? Sound off in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more Nintendo Switch Online coverage.
