In 2017, a group of former Rare employees released Yooka-Laylee, a spiritual successor to N64 games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64. While the original Yooka-Laylee has its fans, there were some areas that left room for improvement. Playtonic Games plans on polishing up the game with a brand-new release called Yooka-Replaylee. Players can look forward to improved visuals, tighter controls, an improved camera, brand-new challenges, the addition of a map, and other changes. The trailer also hints that we’ll see an all-new rap from Grant Kirkhope, in the style of the DK Rap and the Yooka Rap from the first game.
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The trailer for Yooka-Replaylee can be found below. Readers interested in wishlisting the game can do so on its Steam page right here.
Why is Yooka-Laylee Getting a Remaster?
2025 will mark the 10th anniversary of Playtonic’s founding. In a FAQ section on the Yooka-Replaylee Steam page, the developer noted that it has learned a lot in that time. The goal of Yooka-Replaylee is to apply “all the community feedback as well as channelling everything we’ve learned while working on other projects to make this the definitive version of Yooka-Laylee.”
From the trailer, the game’s visuals look much improved over the original Yooka-Laylee. From the sunlight in the game’s first world, to the fur on Laylee, Yooka-Replaylee already looks a lot prettier than the original game. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the environments stack up as more gets revealed. Personally, I’m eager to see how Glitterglaze Glacier looks compared to the first game!
Yooka-Replaylee Platforms
At this time, the game has only been announced for Steam, but Playtonic says it’ll have “news about any console plans later.” Presumably, Yooka-Replaylee will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and possibly the successor to Nintendo Switch. The original Yooka-Laylee and its follow-up The Impossible Lair were both released on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, so it seems like a pretty safe bet. The fact that Playtonic is waiting to announce platforms besides Steam could suggest that the studio is waiting until after Nintendo’s new system is revealed. We don’t know exactly when that will happen, other than that it will be announced after this month, but before the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year next March.
Considering how closely associated those Rare games are with the Nintendo 64, it seems like a safe bet we’ll see Yooka-Replaylee on some Nintendo system. Hopefully it won’t be too long before more details are revealed!
Did you ever play Yooka-Laylee? Are you excited for the game’s remaster? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
