Retro Fighting Game Killer Instinct Gold the Latest Addition to the Nintendo Switch Online Library

Killer Instinct Gold is the latest Nintendo 64 game to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online library.

A Nintendo 64 port of the arcade fighter Killer Instinct 2, Gold joins the original Killer Instinct in the expansive library of retro titles now available to the Online Expansion Pack subscribers.

Released almost 30 years ago now in 1996, Killer Instinct Gold was developed by British studio Rare, which was a frequent second-party developer for Nintendo at the time, making games like Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye 007, and Perfect Dark for early Nintendo systems. You can pick from a roster of 10 killer fighters, and test your instincts across multiple game modes, “with hundreds of thousands of moves and killer Combos at your fingertips.”

Rare and by extension the Killer Instinct franchise is of course now owned by Microsoft, which makes Killer Instinct Gold yet another Xbox Game Studios title to release on the Switch. Following the release of Xbox One launch title Killer Instinct back in 2013, there has been no indication that Microsoft plans to revive the series with yet another sequel.

Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription-based online gaming service for the Nintendo Switch gaming platform. Memberships include online functionality, allowing you to compete or cooperate with friends, as well as a collection of classic Nintendo games spanning four decades, including titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and (with the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2) the new GameCube libraries. A free seven-day trial is also available.

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders went live at the end of April with the price of the console still fixed at $449.99 — and they went about as well as you’d expect. But although Nintendo has issued a warning to U.S. customers who applied for a Switch 2 pre-order from the My Nintendo Store, saying release date delivery is not guaranteed due to very high demand, Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser told IGN he is confident the company will have enough units to meet consumer demand “through the holidays.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.