Summary

• Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition brings back classic NES games in a competitive Switch title.
• Release date is July 2024; options include the $29.99 digital version or $59.99 physical Deluxe Edition.
• The Deluxe Edition features a replica gold NES cartridge, pins, and art cards, providing a nostalgic experience.

Nintendo has officially announced a revival of a classic brand, in the form of a Switch title called Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. The original Nintendo World Championships were a series of video game tournaments. First held in 1989 under the name Nintendo Challenge Championships, these events had players from all over the world compete to gain the highest scores and the fastest completion times in some of the best NES games of all time. Championships like these have been held sporadically throughout the decades; after the 1990 competition, the Nintendo World Championships splintered off into smaller, regional events.

The most recent event was held in 2017, in which competitors faced off in a variety of Switch and Wii U titles - Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Mario Kart 8 among them. The new announcement marks the first use of the Nintendo World Championships banner since then, but this time, it takes a whole new form. This isn't a special event or a one-time competition; it's a fully-featured Switch title that allows players to test their skills at a variety of classic Nintendo games. Here's everything to know about Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - Release Date

When Does Nintendo World Championships Come Out?

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition will be released on July 18, 2024. It's already available for pre-order via the Nintendo Switch Store, and the game can be pre-loaded so players are able to access it immediately upon release. Prices vary based on edition: the digital version costs $29.99 USD, but the physical Deluxe Edition goes for $59.99.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - All Games Included

Every Game Confirmed For Nintendo World Championships & Gameplay Details

Nintendo World Championships includes challenges based on 13 different games from the NES era. From trailers and promotional images, all 13 games have been confirmed. The games Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition draws on include:

• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
• Metroid
• Donkey Kong
• Kirby's Adventure
• Excitebike
• Ice Climber
• Balloon Fight
• Kid Icarus

These games are not included in their entirety as part of Nintendo World Championships, but many of them are available on Nintendo Switch Online.

This includes a cross-section of some of the most memorable NES titles: arcade games, platformers, racing games, even action-adventure games. However, they've been greatly adapted for competitive play. Don't expect to play through Link's entire adventure, or complete a full playthrough of Super Mario Bros. 3. Nintendo World Championships simply includes a variety of minigames based on these games' most iconic moments. Players can face off in 150 challenges based on these classic NES titles. Most of these are related to speed - for example, how quickly Link can eliminate a screen full of Octoroks, or how quickly Samus can get to a gate.

But it's not the Nintendo World Championship without a little competition. Players can get challenge their friends or complete strangers in a variety of classic Nintendo-based games. Weekly global leaderboards will track players' high scores worldwide, but local multiplayer is also available for up to eight players at once. As a result, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition lands somewhere between a nostalgic anthology and a party game.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition - Everything Included In The Deluxe Set

Replica Gold NES Cartridge, Pins, Art, & More

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is also available in a Deluxe Edition - as a matter of fact, it's the only way to buy the game physically. Costing $59.99 to the digital edition's $29.99, the Deluxe Edition includes several physical bonuses to sweeten the deal. First and foremost, there's a replica golden NES cartridge included with the Deluxe Edition, resembling one given as a prize in a 1990 Nintendo Power contest.

The original cartridge was actually playable, and allowed a few lucky fans to experience the competitive versions of NES games played by actual competitors in the 1990 Nintendo World Championship. The golden cartridge included with the Deluxe Edition of the Switch game isn't playable, however; it's for display only, and comes with a stand.

The playable cartridges containing challenges used in the original Nintendo World Championship have since become some of the rarest and most valuable video game collectibles of all time. They - both the golden ones given away by Nintendo Power and the gray ones given to the semifinalists in the competition - regularly go for prices in the thousands of dollars on eBay.

The Deluxe Edition of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition also includes a set of 13 art cards, each depicting the NES cover of the relevant game. Printed on cardstock, these make for a great collectible or piece of decor, but aren't practical in the same sense as Nintendo's earlier 3DS AR cards.

Finally, the Deluxe Edition of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition includes a set of five golden pins, most of which depict sprites from some of the included games. The triangle-shaped pins include one of Mario holding up a mushroom, one of Link carrying a piece of the Triforce, one of Samus and a Morph ball, and one of Donkey Kong pushing a barrel. The final pin simply depicts the logo of the Nintendo World Championships. These resemble pins given out to participants and attendees at previous Nintendo World Championship events.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition offers a hefty dose of nostalgia for anyone who lived through the NES era, and a great way to make single-player childhood favorites competitive. While it may not offer the kinds of fabulous prizes and worldwide renown promised by the actual competition, it's a great way for anyone who's ever fantasized about winning the Nintendo World Championship to live out their wildest dreams. Whether the release of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition will inspire further editions, or even a revival of the competition series, remains to be seen - either way, it promises a good time.