Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Preorders Are Selling Out Fast

The first Nintendo World Championships took place in 1990, giving the best players in the world a chance to face off in some of the most iconic games of all time. Fast-forward to today, and Nintendo is doing much the same for 2024. But instead of a select few competitors battling on stage for a grand prize, it’s opening the excitement to the masses by releasing Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. The retro minigame collection launches on July 18, and there’s a mighty cool physical edition up for grabs that will pull at your nostalgia strings. Preorders are available now at Best Buy and GameStop, but both retailers have sold out once already. We’re still waiting for listings to go live at other retailers, but you’ll want to be quick on this one.

Preorder Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Deluxe Set)

$60

The Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition includes over 150 minigames spread across 13 NES titles. This includes seeing how fast you can complete the first level of Super Mario Bros, how quickly you can eat an enemy in Kirby’s Adventure, and defeating as many Octoroks as possible in The Legend of Zelda. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can compare your scores to players around the world. The big selling point of this deluxe set is its lineup of collectibles, as you’ll get a gorgeous replica game pack, 13 art cards, and a set of pins.

If you don’t have an NSO membership, you can still enjoy local multiplayer for up to eight players. After each round, you’ll receive a letter rating to let you know how well you’ve performed. You’ll earn in-game coins based on your performance, which can then be used to unlock additional challenges.

Here’s a look at all 13 games in the collection:

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

The Deluxe Set will likely sell out, so be sure to check all retailers–Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Target–to see if you’re lucky enough to find inventory in stock. If you can’t–or if you don’t care about the extras–you can pick up a digital standard version for $30 via the Switch eShop.

Nintendo says the collection is best played with NES controllers, but some great alternatives to the $60 pair only available to Switch Online members include the 8BitDo N30 Wireless Controller for $36 or the 8BitDo SN30 Pro Wireless Controller for $45. You can also pick up the 8BitDo Pro 2 for $50, and while it’s shaped a bit more like a PlayStation gamepad, it should still be great for this upcoming minigame collection.

Unfortunately for North American players, there’s a Japan-exclusive Special Edition of Nintendo World Championships that arguably looks even cooler. Though it doesn’t come with the gold NES cartridge, it contains a pair of Famicom controllers and only costs around $65.