Star Fox is a series of action games created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and developed and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by Fox McCloud. Gameplay involves missions around the Lylat planetary system in the futuristic Arwing fighter spacecraft, in other vehicles, and on foot. The original Star Fox (1993) is a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter, but later games add more directional freedom.
The first game, developed by Nintendo EAD and programmed by Argonaut Software, used the Super FX Chip to create the first hardware-accelerated 3D gaming experience on a home console. The Super FX Chip is a math co-processor built into the cartridge to help the Super NES render graphics. Super FX was used in other Super NES games, some with increased processing speed. Star Fox 64 was the first Nintendo console game with force feedback.
Due to perceived problems with the German company StarVox, Star Fox and Star Fox 64 were released in PAL region territories as Starwing and Lylat Wars. However, as of Star Fox Adventures, Nintendo uses the same name globally.
Games
Main series Star Fox (1993)
The first game, Star Fox, or Starwing in Europe and Australia, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Developed by Nintendo EAD and programmed by Argonaut Software, it uses the Super FX chip to provide 3D graphics during a period of predominately 2D games. Fox McCloud and his team, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, and Falco Lombardi, take on Andross, who threatens to overthrow the Lylat system. The concept was inspired by a shrine to the Japanese fox deity Inari Ōkami, which Shigeru Miyamoto visited regularly. The shrine's accessibility through a series of arches, influenced the gameplay.Equinox – Serious Fun (AKA 'Video Games') (1993) Channel 4. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/500185?view=credit Several boss battles from the game are included as mini-games in the Wii game WarioWare: Smooth Moves, using the Wii Remote to fly the ship.
Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64, or Lylat Wars in Europe and Australia, introduced fully spoken dialogue, off-the-rails movement, new vehicles and characters, multiplayer, and rudimentary on-foot gameplay through an unlockable multiplayer mode. It was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64 and came bundled with the Rumble Pak, a force feedback controller attachment. Star Fox 64 retells the main story of the original Star Fox canon,Star Fox 64 Player's Guide with new characters and gameplay elements. New multiplayer modes include free-for-all, battle royale, and a time trial. The overall plot is expanded with relatively small core changes. Star Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures was released in 2002 for the GameCube. Developed by Rare, it is predominately an action-adventure game in which Fox is armed with a mystical staff. Traditional space shooting is limited to small segments between chapters. Its roots can be traced to Dinosaur Planet, a game Rare was developing late in the life cycle of the Nintendo 64, but cancelled by Nintendo and converted into a Star Fox game. It introduced new characters, including Prince Tricky and Krystal. Taking place eight years after the events of Star Fox 64, the main antagonist is an army of dinosaurs called the Sharp Claws, led by General Scales. Fox and Krystal fall in love soon before the final boss fight when Fox saves her life. Krystal then joins the Star Fox team. The gameplay of Adventures resembles that seen in most 3D The Legend of Zelda games.
Star Fox: Assault
Developed by Namco, Star Fox: Assault was released in 2005 for the GameCube. The emphasis returned to Arwing-based gameplay, but also had portions of on-foot missions. Assault takes place one year after Adventures, with the Aparoids becoming a new threat to the Lylat system. The Star Fox team is tasked with stopping them. Along with ROB, Peppy now pilots the Great Fox, while Krystal replaces Peppy's role as one of the team's pilots.
Star Fox Command
Star Fox Command was developed by Q-Games for the Nintendo DS, and was released in 2006. It is the first Star Fox game for a handheld console and the first to offer online multiplayer. Like the original Star Fox, gameplay is completely aircraft-based, and uses chatter much like the SNES game instead of the voice acting of later installments. Command utilizes a new system of gameplay, incorporating strategy and abandoning its "fly-by-rail" roots. Players plot flight paths and engage enemies in an open arena-style flying mode using the Nintendo DS's touch screen. Each character has a unique ship with different abilities. For example, Slippy's ship has no lock-on feature and shorter boosts, but has stronger lasers and shielding; Fox McCloud pilots the redesigned Arwing II. Command takes place two to three years after the events of Star Fox: Assault and features nine possible endings, determined by the player's story progression choices.
Star Fox 64 3D
Star Fox 64 3D is a remake of Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 3DS, released in 2011, as the second Star Fox game on a handheld console. The game was announced in a conceptual trailer for the Nintendo 3DS at E3 2010.
With a few exceptions, the gameplay in Star Fox 64 3D is very similar to that of the original version. The player controls Fox's Arwing fighter using the circle pad to steer, the shoulder buttons to bank left and right, and the four right-hand buttons to fire lasers and bombs, boost and brake. The D-Pad allows the player to perform somersaults and u-turns, which can also be performed with combinations of other controls, and to zoom in and out from the Arwing in "All-Range Mode". The player can enable "Gyro Controls", using the 3DS's internal gyroscope sensor to control the Arwing. Character dialogue, messages and control information are displayed on the touch screen.
A new multiplayer "Battle Mode" allows up to 4-player LAN multiplayer (via Download Play), or to battle against CPU opponents. During battles, each player's face appears on opponents' screens in a live reaction feed from the console's internal camera.
Star Fox Zero
Star Fox Zero was developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames for the Wii U and released in April 2016. The first Star Fox game on a home game console in over 10 years, the game is controlled using the Wii U GamePad's gyroscope feature. Star Fox Zero also came packaged with a retail version of Star Fox Guard, a tower defense spin-off game.
Star Fox 2
Star Fox 2 was originally cancelled even though it was completely finished. Many of its new ideas were implemented for the then-forthcoming Star Fox 64, such as the rival team Star Wolf, all-range mode, charge shot, and a multiplayer mode (though Star Fox 2s multiplayer mode was no longer featured in the final beta). Other elements such as choosing characters, map pointing, and multiple ship variations were later implemented in Star Fox Command. A beta version of the Landmaster tank (the Walker) also makes an appearance as an Arwing with leglike attachments. A patch for the final beta was released by a third-party team of hackers to make the game complete, removing the debug mode menus, making an English translation, and removing subroutines for a buggy third vehicle not used in the game.
The game was officially released as part of the Super NES Classic Edition, and was later added to the SNES Nintendo Classics service for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Star Fox (2026)
A remake of Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo Switch 2, Star Fox, developed by Velan Studios as the studio's second collaborative project with Nintendo following Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, was announced via a Nintendo Direct on May 7, 2026, in the midst of rumors and leaks relating to a revival of the Star Fox franchise and a coinciding new release, and following the franchise's main character Fox McCloud's appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Released on June 25, 2026, to a generally positive reception, Star Fox's gameplay, structure, storyline, and characters remain largely unchanged from Star Fox 64, although the game's release on the then-modern Nintendo Switch 2 allowed the game to be the most graphically and technically impressive entry in the franchise.
Spin-offs Star Fox (Nelsonic Game Watch) Shortly after the release of the first Star Fox game, in June 1993, Nelsonic developed a promotional LCD-based Star Fox Game Watch, redeemable with a coupon found in boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. It has four levels and the object is to fly toward the Attack Carrier and destroy it while dodging plasma balls and falling structures. It includes a pair of earphones and a headphone jack but lacks a volume control. Nelsonic later released it in stores in a different watch appearance.
Star Fox Guard
Star Fox Guard was first shown at E3 2014 under the name of Project Guard, and was announced under a final name in a March 2016 Nintendo Direct. Guard was released for the Wii U in April 2016, coinciding with the release of Star Fox Zero. Developed by Nintendo and PlatinumGames, Guard is a tower defense game where the objective is to switch between different views on security cameras and protect the player's base by shooting enemy robots. A physical version of the game came bundled alongside the physical version of Star Fox Zero, and is also available separately as a digital download on the Wii U eShop.
Cancelled games Virtual Boy game This game was a tech demo of what would have been a Star Fox game had the Virtual Boy adopted the series. The closest game to it is Red Alarm. Cinematic camera angles were a key element, as they are in Star Fox 2. At both E3 1995 and at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1995, the demo showed an Arwing doing various spins and motions. One observer called it "an intriguing technical demo featuring a Star Fox-like spacecraft doing a lot of spinning and zooming in 3D. It is made of filled polygons and looks much better than the unfilled Red Alarm vehicles". Attendees to these two events were given 3D glasses to watch the demos and tech videos that were played on screens at the show floors, and from these videos.
Arcade game Originally planned as a companion game for Star Fox: Assault, an arcade game was abandoned and never released. It was scheduled for release in 2004–2005, but was cancelled for unknown reasons.
Related games Super Smash Bros. series Various Star Fox characters and stage themes have appeared in the Super Smash Bros. franchise of fighting games. Fox McCloud has appeared in every series entry as a playable character, while Falco Lombardi has been unlockable in all games from Super Smash Bros. Melee onward. Wolf O'Donnell appears as an unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
WarioWare series In WarioWare: Smooth Moves for Wii, there is a Star Fox minigame in the style of the SNES title with three stages. Using the Wii Remote, the player pilots the Arwing through Corneria, Sector X, and Titania. At the end of each level, the player fights R.O.B. (not ROB 64 from the Star Fox series, but rather the R.O.B. attachment for the NES), who is armed with a large NES Zapper. In WarioWare Gold for Nintendo 3DS, another SNES-styled Star Fox microgame appears, this time challenging players to not crash into anything when their ship is on the verge of being destroyed.
Super Mario Maker Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy, along with the Arwing Walker from Star Fox Zero, appear as Mystery Mushroom costumes in Super Mario Maker.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas The Nintendo Switch version of Ubisoft's action-adventure game Starlink: Battle for Atlas features exclusive missions featuring Star Fox characters and ships. As part of the game's toys-to-life features, the Nintendo Switch starter pack includes figures of Fox McCloud and his Arwing that can be used in-game.
Other media
Nintendo Power comics