Two Nintendo games that were fully completed — packaged, rated, and ready to ship — in 1996 before being quietly shelved forever are finally seeing the light of day. Zero Racers and D-Hopper (originally Dragon Hopper) are joining Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics on 4 August 2026 for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, making them officially playable for the very first time.
Zero Racers — The F-Zero Game With 3D Graphics Nintendo Never Shipped
Zero Racers is an F-Zero spin-off racing game developed by Nintendo and planned for late 1996 on the Virtual Boy. Set in a future where underground humanity has lost much of its emotion and competes in high-speed tube races, it pits four F-Zero characters against AI opponents across 15 tracks in three leagues, with Grand Prix and Practice modes. A “Rapid” boost mechanic rewards players who manage their power meter well.
Historically, Zero Racers carries an unusual footnote: it was designed to be the first F-Zero game to feature full 3D graphics. The characters James McCloud and Jody Summer, who F-Zero fans know from F-Zero X, were originally set to debut here. When the Virtual Boy was discontinued, the game was cancelled despite being completely finished — it had a full box, manual, label, and ESRB rating, as Nintendo of America localiser Jim Wornell has noted.
D-Hopper — Intelligent Systems’ 30-Year-Old Lost Adventure
D-Hopper, developed by Intelligent Systems (the studio behind Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, and Advance Wars) and published by Nintendo, is a top-down action-adventure comparable to The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Players control Prince Dorin of the Sky Kingdom, navigating floating platform stages while battling monsters and collecting four lost spirits — each of which grants Dorin the ability to transform into a dragon with unique special attacks.
The game was shown at E3 1996 and given a firm release date of 26 August 1996 before the Virtual Boy’s commercial failure forced its cancellation. For three decades, proof of its existence was limited to screenshots in gaming magazines and brief E3 footage — no ROM prototype was ever discovered. It is one of gaming’s genuinely lost works, and it is now, finally, officially available.
What Else Drops on 4 August
Alongside the two games, Nintendo is adding a screen colour customisation feature to the Virtual Boy – Nintendo Classics app. Hold the right control stick and tap L or R to cycle through colour filters — Game Boy greens, Game Boy Color palettes, and more — on top of the classic Virtual Boy red. Five Virtual Boy soundtracks are also being added to the Nintendo Music app on the same date.
For Singapore Fans on Nintendo Switch Online
Both games are included at no extra charge for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. In Singapore, that membership costs S$69.90 per year for an individual plan or S$119.90 per year for a Family Membership covering up to eight Nintendo Accounts — working out to roughly S$10 per person annually when shared. The Virtual Boy Classics library is accessible on both Switch and Switch 2, including handheld mode on the Switch 2. As we noted in our Super Mario Sunshine Nintendo Classics coverage, August is shaping up to be a strong month for the Expansion Pack library across both GameCube and Virtual Boy.
Zero Racers and D-Hopper join Nintendo Classics on 4 August 2026. Keep an eye on all upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game news here on GameTrader.
