Sunday, February 22, 2026

Every Nintendo Switch Online Virtual Boy Game Ranked – Nintendo Life

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Virtual Boy Nintendo Switch
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

Of all of Nintendo’s consoles, the Virtual Boy is one of the most fascinating due to being a rare hardware flop in the company’s storied history. It might be the worst-selling Nintendo system ever (and it never even launched in Europe), but there’s some great software and intriguing curios in the VB library.

With just 22 games released worldwide — and several completed but never released — it’s great to have access to them on Switch 1 and 2, if you subscribe at the ‘Expansion Pack’ tier of Nintendo Switch Online.

But which Virtual Boy games on NSO are the best? Well, here’s a ranked list of every VB game on Switch to answer just that question, courtesy of NL readers.

So, grab any accessories you need and let’s dive into every VB playable on Switch…

Nintendo Switch Virtual Boy games – From Worst to Best

7. Golf (VB)

Perhaps it’s our affection for sports games with plain, unadorned titles, or perhaps it’s tough to make a bad golf game, but we quite like Golf.

Its lack of multiplayer and ability to save your progress hurts (although the latter is solved with save states on NSO), not to mention its single course and inevitably repetitive nature, but the base gameplay here is solid, and you could do a lot worse. We give this three headaches out of five.

6. Teleroboxer (VB)

Teleroboxer is one of the entries in the Virtual Boy catalogue that could be legitimately, consistently labelled as ‘fun’. Unfortunately, the experience is extremely short-lived, but while it lasts, this first-person robot fighter isn’t half-bad.

Hardly a sterling recommendation, we know, but we’ll take what we can get. Teleroboxer is worth a look.

5. Innsmouth no Yakata (VB)

A first-person horror game that suffers from similar issues of repetition as many of the console’s other titles, but at least it tried something different.

It all feels a little old-hat by modern standards, but as a curio in the Virtual Boy catalogue, Innsmouth no Yakata — or The Mansion Of Innsmouth as the title is officially localised on NSO — may be worth investigating if you’re into old-school 3D dungeon exploration games.

4. 3D Tetris (VB)

A North American exclusive, 3D Tetris shook up the standard formula by having you look down into the well as the blocks fall away from you. Having to fill in layers rather than make lines feels different to standard Tetris and this features 30 different block types, but the spirit of the game you know and love survives very well.

Let’s face it, the proliferation of more easily accessible Tetris titles would make buying a Virtual Boy to play regular old Tetris a bit silly, no? 3D Tetris, though, is definitely worth investigating. Maybe not worth buying a VB for, but still very good – probably worth getting the cardboard goggles for the Switch Online app.

3. Red Alarm (VB)

A wireframe, on-rails shooter, Red Alarm‘s visuals may be crude, but the 3D effect works very well and there’s plenty of variety in enemies you’ll encounter throughout the game.

Throw in some tight controls and some forgiving mechanics (solid walls — which you may be difficult to discern thanks to the wireframe visuals — don’t cause damage when you bump into them), and you’ve got an impressive little game that’s a must-own if you’ve got a VB.

2. Galactic Pinball (VB)

Galactic Pinball probably isn’t something you’ll be going back to time and again, but that counts for the entire VB library. As pinball titles go, though, this is a decent one, with controls and physics which work well, and if you fancy yourself as a wizard of the pinball variety, this is your first, last, and only port of call on Virtual Boy.

Fortunately, it’s a pretty good one. It’s not worth hunting down an original system to play, but one to seek out on NSO, that’s for sure.

1. Virtual Boy Wario Land (VB)

Arguably the only truly indispensable title on the console, this platformer featuring Mario’s greedy counterpart boasts fabulous visuals and audio to match, and plays much like Wario Land on the Game Boy. It’s easily the system’s best game and one you have almost certainly played already if you are a proud Virtual Boy owner.

While it’s tough to recommend buying any console just for one game — especially at current prices — this is a fine, fine outing for the anti-Mario and, although we don’t endorse stealing, Virtual Boy Wario Land is worth begging or borrowing a Virtual Boy to experience.

Failing that? It’s on NSO now, if you’ve got the requisite accessories. Happy days.


Not a bad boy, huh?

Virtual Boy Nintendo Switch Online FAQ

Finally, we’ve answered some common NSO-related questions elsewhere (yes, Labo VR fans, you can use your goggles with the VB app), but here we’ll answer a few more common questions Nintendo Life readers have about the Virtual Boy games on Switch.

What other games were released for Virtual Boy?

In addition to the selection above, we have the Best Virtual Boy Games listed here, including every title released worldwide for the system (that’s just 22 in total!).

Hudson’s Panic Bomber, Coconuts’ Space Squash, and Nintendo’s own Nester’s Funky Bowling are among notable games not (yet) announced for NSO.

What other Virtual Boy Games are coming to NSO?

At the time of writing, Nintendo has announced a further nine VB games coming to Nintendo Classics sometime in 2026, including two previously unreleased games and two Mario games:

It’s possible that more may come, but that remains to be seen. We’ll update this article as new games drop.

How can I change the ranking in this article?

This is a dynamic, real-time ranking of every available Virtual Boy game playable as part of a Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, compiled with the help of Nintendo Life readers.

You can add (or even change) your User Ratings for every game you’ve played at any time, even after publication. Try searching for your favourite NSO Virtual Boy games in the box below and rate them to influence the order.

If you’re wanting to pick up a Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership to play any or all of these games, grab a subscription here:


Let us know your thoughts below. New games added to the service will appear here, too, so check back in the future and rank them as well. You know, if you like.

And if you’re after a full list of every Nintendo Switch Online retro game currently available, we’re happy to oblige.

Further reading:

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