1989 NES Game Returns for the First Time Ever With New Release

An NES game from 1989 has returned for the first time ever with a new release, and this new release is available on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. The game in question first emerged in 1988, but only in arcades. A year later, it came to the NES in Japan, and then a year after this, in 1990, it came to the NES in the West. And that was the game’s last release until today, August 13, 2026.

Tokyo-based developer Hamster has specifically announced that it is set to bring back Technos Japan’s V’Ball. For those who do not know, Technos Japan — best known for the Double Dragon series — does not exist anymore. As of 2015, Arc System Works owns all of its IP, so presumably Arc System Works has licensed out this release to Hamster. Whatever the case, Hamster has released it via both its Arcade Archives and Arcade Archives 2 series. The former is available via PS4 and Nintendo Switch, while the latter is on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, the former costs $7.99, while the latter costs $9.99. There is also an upgrade pack for upgrades from the former to the latter in the future that costs $2.99.

V’Ball was far from the biggest NES release back in the day, though it was a modest success in arcades in Japan. To this end, it is unclear how much demand there is for it in 2026, but the trailer above does have 111 likes to just 4 dislikes.

“The NES version has one of the most underrated game soundtracks! Very nostalgic whenever I hear it,” reads one of the comments on the trailer above. Another adds, “Yes! This game is awesome.”

As for the game itself, it’s a volleyball game where players control two local beach bums who end up entering a national tournament after dominating locals for years. In the NES version, multiple teams can be selected, but not in the arcade version, which this is. All other content added by the NES version is also unavailable. What is available are a few different new modes, as well as VRR, aka Variable Refresh Rate. The former isn’t that noteworthy, but the latter is because it enables the arcade gameplay of the original to be more accurately reproduced. To this end, this new version is closer to the original than the NES version.

Like most sports games from this era on NES, V’Ball holds up quite well. It is rudimentary compared to modern experiences, but while simplistic, it’s still enjoyable for those with both nostalgia for it and those without it. And as one of the aforementioned comments points out, it has a great late 1980s sound to it.

It’s been a noteworthy month so far for NES fans, as a modern NES exclusive just recently went multi-platform for the first time last week.

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