After 20 years stuck in Japan on the GBA, Nintendo revives legendary F-Zero game and adds it to Switch Online

For 20 years, F-Zero Climax has been a beloved installment of the classic sci-fi F-Zero racing series with a caveat: it was only available in Japan. 

To experience the high of bolting around its intergalactic tracks, some international fans would pay hundreds of dollars for one of its old Game Boy Advance cartridges. But, if you're interested in checking the game out for yourself, don't rush to any rash financial decisions. Now, F-Zero Climax is easier to play than ever. Nintendo just added the game to its Switch Online subscription service, no fading cartridge required. 

Both Climax and its predecessor F-Zero: GP Legend — the 2003 franchise reboot based on eponymous anime — will make it to Nintendo Switch Online's augmented Expansion Pack on October 11. And fans can hardly wait. 

"This is SUCH good news!!!!!" YouTuber RogersBase wrote on X. "There has never been a better time to be an F-Zero fan, man." 

"Nintendo bringing F-Zero Climax to America is something I would [have] never expected," agreed streamer LG Wizzrobe on X. "To make the game accessible outside of Japan is incredible."

While Climax has the same gasoline heart as any other F-Zero game — they are all, ultimately, about moving sick-looking machines around a sick-looking track — it's notable for a few reasons. 

It's the first F-Zero game to feature a built-in track editor, which lets players customize tracks, and it features a huge number of stages (53, as opposed to the series' more typical 15 or so). It also was the last F-Zero game Nintendo released before revisiting the franchise in 2023, with F-Zero 99. And soon, it will be yours to play. 

In the meantime, check out some of the best racing games to put you in pole position.