Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Announced

The competition game comes to Nintendo Switch this July.

By Marc Deschamps

Following leaks earlier this month, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition has been officially announced for Nintendo Switch. Releasing on July 18th, the game will feature more than 150 challenges spanning 13 different NES games. Players can compete locally with up to 8 players, and the game will offer support for the NES style controllers available for purchase to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Speaking of Nintendo Switch Online, the game will feature rotating challenges each week, and subscribers will be able to submit their scores as they compete for spots on a global leaderboard.

Nintendo has released a trailer for the game, which also includes some background on the Nintendo World Championships that were held in 1990, 2015, and 2017. Readers can find it below. 

What NES Games Will Appear in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition?

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is meant to be a tribute to one of the rarest NES games ever: a cartridge specifically manufactured for the Nintendo World Championships that were held in 1990. The digital version of the game will be a budget release for $29.99, but Nintendo will also release a deluxe set for $59.99 that includes a physical copy of the game, a non-playable gold replica NES cartridge, 5 pins, and 13 art cards. The 13 NES games that will be featured in the game include:

  • Balloon Fight
  • Donkey Kong
  • Excitebike
  • Ice Climber
  • Kid Icarus
  • Kirby's Adventure
  • Metroid
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario Bros. 2
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

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From the description and video, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition sounds very similar to the NES Remix games, which originally released on 3DS and Wii U. The key difference seems to be that those games included challenges that were "remixed" takes on classic NES games, while the challenges in this Nintendo Switch game all seem to be things that a player could theoretically accomplish in the NES originals. For retro game fans, this could be a very exciting addition to the Nintendo Switch library! 

Nintendo Switch in 2024

As of this writing, Nintendo's plans for 2024 remain something of a mystery. However, a Nintendo Direct presentation will take place sometime in the month of June, which will cover games releasing later this year. The Direct was announced yesterday, though a specific date was not revealed. It's commonly accepted that 2024 will be the last full year of support for Nintendo Switch, with a new console likely releasing in the first half of 2025. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is another game to help fill in this year's release calendar, following Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door this month, and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD in June. We have no idea what to expect beyond July, but hopefully Nintendo has some nice surprises left in store! 

Are you excited to check out Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition? Is this the type of game that might appeal to you? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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