Donkey Kong Country Returns, originally released for the Wii in 2010, is coming to the Switch

It’s set to arrive on January 15, 2025.

It’s been about a decade since Nintendo released a new game in the Donkey Kong Country series, and while there isn’t a new one coming soon, there is a port of one you may have missed on its way. Donkey Kong Country Returns, initially released for the Wii in 2010, is hitting the Switch on January 15, 2025. It was a fantastic game for its time, and I am hopeful it’ll hold up well 15 years later. At the very least, the controls should be simpler, as Nintendo won’t be forcing motion controls into the mix with this remaster as they did with the Wii original.

This game joins Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as another modern interpretation of the franchise. Tropical Freeze was first released for the Wii U in 2014, but since that console didn’t have a large user base, its arrival on the Switch in 2018 allowed a much larger audience to experience the game. That’s not exactly the case with Donkey Kong Country Returns, which sold well for the original Wii. Still, Donkey Kong Country fans are eager for a new game, so this will have to do for now. I’m sure it’s been years since many people have played it, so hopefully it’ll feel somewhat fresh.