Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 25, 2026, developed by Velan Studios, and it brings the full Star Fox 64 experience back with modernized graphics, music, and voice acting. Across 16 planets and sectors, you pilot the Arwing (and occasionally the Landmaster tank or the Blue Marine submarine) through a branching campaign that rewards replaying far more than most on-rails shooters. A single playthrough runs 2 to 3 hours across seven missions, but seeing everything the game offers takes considerably longer.
How many planets and missions are in Star Fox?
The full campaign contains 16 missions total, but you only visit seven per playthrough. Each run starts on Corneria and ends on one of two versions of Venom, depending on the routes you take. The paths branch based on how you perform in each stage, with higher-difficulty routes sitting toward the top of the Lylat System map and easier routes at the bottom.
Here is the complete list of all 16 planets and sectors:
- Corneria
- Meteo
- Sector Y
- Aquas
- Katina
- Fichina
- Zoness
- Solar
- Sector X
- Sector Z
- Macbeth
- Titania
- Area 6
- Bolse
- Venom
- Venom 2
The map screen updates in real time after each stage. Once you finish a mission, you can switch paths from the map menu or retry a stage to pursue an alternate route, though retrying costs one ship.
Lylat System route map
What are the best routes to take?
Three routes are worth knowing before you start.
Beginner route (easiest path): Corneria > Meteo > Fichina > Sector X > Titania > Bolse > Venom. This is the natural path for new players following the game's lower-difficulty options.
Miyamoto's route: Corneria > Sector Y > Katina > Sector X > Sector Z > Area 6 > Venom 2. This is the route Shigeru Miyamoto highlighted in the original Nintendo Power Player's Guide for Star Fox 64, and it still works on Switch 2.
Classic high-score route: Corneria > Meteo > Katina > Sector X > Macbeth > Area 6 > Venom 2.
Water route (for maximum scoring): Corneria > Sector Y > Aquas > Zoness > Macbeth > Area 6 > Venom 2. Once you learn the secret hit locations in Aquas, this route can push your total close to 3,000 points, making up for the lower enemy count in Sector Y compared to Meteo.
How do alternate routes unlock?
Each stage has a specific condition that opens a branching path. Here is what you need to do for each one:
- Corneria: Rescue Falco, pass through all 7 stone rings, and destroy the Attack Carrier.
- Meteo: Fly through all 7 energy anomalies (this is a wormhole shortcut to Katina).
- Sector Y: Finish the mission with at least 100 hits.
- Katina: Destroy the Saucerer before the timer runs out.
- Fichina: Defeat Star Wolf before the timer runs out.
- Zoness: Destroy all 36 radar buoys without being detected.
- Sector X: Either defeat Spyborg before it shoots down Slippy, or open and pass through all 4 energy gates for the Sector Z wormhole shortcut.
- Sector Z: Destroy all 6 Copperhead missiles before they damage the Great Fox.
- Macbeth: Flip all 8 track switches and the final rail switch.
How do you unlock Titania?
Titania has the most unusual unlock condition in the game. You cannot reach it from Solar or Macbeth. The only way in is through Sector X.
At the end of Sector X, you face the boss Spyborg. When Slippy flies in to investigate and Spyborg attacks him, let the boss hit Slippy rather than intervening immediately. Slippy's Arwing takes damage and spirals down, crash-landing on Titania's surface. You then choose to rescue him, and the mission plays out on Titania using the Landmaster tank against the boss Goras.
If you defeat Spyborg before it shoots Slippy down, you get the alternate Sector X exit instead, so the two outcomes are mutually exclusive per run.
Spyborg boss in Sector X
What hit counts do you need for medals?
Medals require two things: reaching the hit threshold for that stage AND finishing with all three wingmen (Peppy, Slippy, and Falco) alive. The one exception is Titania, where Slippy being shot down is the prerequisite for even reaching the planet.
Medals are not available in Easy Mode. Expert Mode unlocks only after earning all 16 Normal medals.
How do you maximize your hit count?
Two techniques drive nearly all high scores beyond the medal thresholds.
Charged shots on groups: A charged homing shot that takes out multiple enemies at once awards bonus hits. Two enemies killed with a single charged shot counts as 3 hits (2+1). Three enemies counts as 6, and so on. The bonus is displayed on screen as "+1", "+2", "+3", etc. Bombs do not trigger this bonus.
Spawning hidden enemies: Flying through narrow gaps, vertical crevices, and arches causes additional enemy groups to appear. These hidden spawns are usually clustered, making them ideal targets for charged shots. This is how scores on Corneria can exceed 220 hits on Normal difficulty, well above the 150 medal threshold.
For Corneria specifically, the stage breaks down into sections with target scores at each checkpoint:
- Welcome section (open sea): 17 hits minimum before entering the rock walls
- City in Flames: approximately 100 hits before the checkpoint
- Corneria exit: 165 hits before Falco's challenge
- Waterfall: 185 hits when passing through
- Bombardment: 205 hits before the Attack Carrier
If you fall behind these benchmarks at any section, restart from the checkpoint rather than continuing with a deficit.
Charged shot group bonus
What are the difficulty mode differences?
Expert Mode is locked behind collecting all 16 Normal medals. The reward for doing so is Expert Mode access plus a cosmetic for Fox: he wears sunglasses modeled after his father James McCloud when playing Expert.
How does the Pro Controller rapid-fire trick work?
Firing speed matters when chasing medals. The Switch 2 Pro Controller has two paddles underneath labeled GL and GR. Mapping both to the A (fire) button lets you use three fingers across three buttons simultaneously, significantly increasing your fire rate during high-density enemy sections.
To set this up: hold the Home Button, navigate to the GL/GR Buttons config section, select GL and press A, then select GR and press A again.
Pro Controller paddle setup
What's new in Update 1.1.0?
Velan Studios released Update 1.1.0 on June 24, 2026, adding three major features and fixing several progression bugs:
New features:
- Battle Mode (online multiplayer)
- Avatar Settings (AR character filters for Game Chat with USB camera)
- Easy Campaign Mode difficulty
Key bug fixes:
- Fixed a Meteo issue where repeatedly boosting past the boss made the stage impossible to complete
- Fixed a Solar issue where overtaking the boss after defeating it blocked the scene transition
- Fixed incorrect bonus hit counts on Aquas (shell-protected Garoa), Meteo (Flip Bot charged shot explosion), Venom (boss restart), and Bolse (force-field ships)
- Fixed a Sector X challenge tracking failure for "Destroy 10 Proximity Mines with a single bomb"
- Corrected the Solar challenge description to read "Destroy 25 enemies and rocks with bombs" rather than the previous misleading text
How do Battle Mode and cosmetics work?
Battle Mode supports online play for up to 8 players. Coordinated squad play outperforms free-for-all significantly. Effective team setups have one player on the periphery targeting opponents, one flying low toward objectives, and one providing cover.
Your Battle Banner is shown to other players in online matches. There are 61 backgrounds and 79 emblems to unlock, with requirements listed on the Customize Battle Banner screen from the main menu. Some backgrounds and emblems are exclusive to scanning Star Fox amiibo figures (Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, and Wolf O'Donnell).
Character Avatars for Game Chat start with Star Fox and Star Wolf unlocked. Additional characters unlock through Challenge Mode completion and medal earning.
Completing Star Fox 100% requires all 16 Normal medals, all 16 Expert medals, all alternate routes, all Normal and Expert challenges, and Battle Mode achievements. The Holoviewer encyclopaedia fills in as you complete these objectives, covering characters, enemies, locations, and lore including the backstory of James McCloud.
For more on the game, check out the full Star Atlas: Holosim page, browse the Star Atlas: Holosim guides collection, or start with the beginner strategies and core mechanics guide if you are new to space-based strategy games on the platform.