Nintendo Switch Online Adds Balloon Kid And Yoshi To The GameBoy Classics App

Nintendo has introduced 2 more games to the GameBoy: Nintendo Classics app for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. As of February 3, 2026, Balloon Kid and Yoshi are now available to play without any additional cost beyond the base subscription.

This marks the first Game Boy Classics update of 2026. The last additions to the app came in late 2025.

Nintendo Switch Online Gameboy: 2 First-Party Additions

Both new games are first-party Nintendo titles from the early 1990s.

Yoshi, released in 1991, is a puzzle game centered around vertical stacks of enemies and items. Players clear the screen by matching pairs while managing falling pieces before they reach the top edge. The Game Boy version supports both single-player and two-player gameplay.

Balloon Kid, from 1990, is a side-scrolling platformer and sequel to Balloon Fight. The gameplay focuses on horizontal movement, obstacle avoidance, and balloon-based flight. Players control Alice as the screen scrolls automatically, with a two-player competitive mode also available.

What Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers Need To Do?

A simple Nintendo Switch app update is required to access the new Gameboy games.

To play Balloon Kid and Yoshi on Nintendo Switch Online platform:

• Open the Game Boy: Nintendo Classics app on the Switch
• Connect the console to the internet
• Download and install the latest update
• Launch either game from the updated library

No Expansion Pack subscription is required. The Game Boy Classics app is included with the standard Nintendo Switch Online plan.

Game Boy Classics Library Grows to 43 Titles

With these additions, the catalog now includes 43 games. It already features titles like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Metroid 2: Return of Samus, multiple Kirby games, and Tetris.

Nintendo continues to update the Classics apps sporadically rather than on a fixed schedule. This update arrived without prior announcement.

More Retro Nintendo Updates Coming in February 2026

Nintendo has confirmed that the Virtual Boy: Nintendo Classics app will launch later in February 2026. It will require both a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription and compatible hardware for the Switch 2. The app will debut with a limited selection of titles.

The Game Boy Classics app does not require extra hardware or subscription upgrades, and the February 3 update applies to all standard subscribers.