BODY: Rare's sprawling 3D platformer is finally returning. On May 28, Nintendo announced that Donkey Kong 64 will be added to the "NINTENDO 64 Nintendo Classics" library on June 4, making the cult-favorite Rare title playable on Switch for the first time.
Originally released in 1999, Donkey Kong 64 was the Kong family's ambitious leap into 3D, requiring players to swap between five playable Kongs โ DK, Diddy, Lanky, Tiny, and Chunky โ to collect bananas, blueprints, and golden bananas across massive interconnected worlds. The game is also remembered for the infectious (or inescapable, depending on who you ask) "DK Rap" intro.
The title joins the growing N64 catalog available to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers, which has steadily expanded with Rare-developed classics like Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Jet Force Gemini. Access requires the higher-tier Expansion Pack subscription rather than the base online plan.
No standalone purchase option has been announced; the game will be available exclusively through the subscription service at launch.
The insider take
For Japanese fans, Donkey Kong 64 occupies a slightly different cultural space than it does in the West. While the DK Rap became a meme staple in English-speaking communities, the game's reputation in Japan leans more toward nostalgia for the late-Rare era of Nintendo partnerships โ a period that ended abruptly when Microsoft acquired Rare in 2002. Its return alongside other Rare titles on Switch feels especially poignant here, where the "lost Rare catalog" has been a recurring topic on Japanese gaming forums for two decades. With Nintendo and Microsoft's relationship visibly warming in recent years, the steady trickle of Rare classics back to Nintendo platforms reads as quiet vindication for longtime fans.
Originally reported by AUTOMATON (Japanese).