Yooka-Replaylee Physical Editions Ready For Christmas, Switch 2 Demo Live

1 week ago 12

Ethan Krieger (He/Him) is an editor at DualShockers that got started in the writing industry by covering professional basketball for a sports network. Despite being a diehard sports fan (mainly formula one, basketball, American football, and golf), video games have always been his #1 interest.

This article was produced in collaboration with Valnet Inc. and the sponsor PM Studios

Already released digitally across PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2 back in October, the freshly rebooted/remastered Yooka-Replaylee is now ready for its full physical retail release, available today, December 18th, 2025.

Yooka-Replaylee Review

A masterclass in 3D platformer collect-a-thon design.

These physical copies are available at major retailers, such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, Gamestop, and VGP, and have arrived just in time to be the perfect holiday gift for the platforming, collect-a-thon loving gamer in your life.

In addition to the full, physical retail release of the game, a demo has also been launched on the Nintendo Switch 2 for any potential players that are still on the fence about the title and need a bit of extra persuasion.

The Journey Of Yooka-Replaylee

For those that don't know the entire backstory of the game, the original Yooka-Laylee was a Kickstarter project that released back in 2017 to a fairly lukewarm reception overall. While many would contend that this version of the game was still more than enjoyable, the majority of fans overall were hopeful for a bit more from many of the team members behind 1998's beloved and legendary Banjo-Kazooie.

And so, after the much more positively received spin-off/sequel, Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair in 2019, Playtonic Games went back to work on the original Yooka-Laylee experience. I personally spoke with the team about this process back in April while going hands-on with a preview build of the title, and the objective for Yooka-Replaylee was made clear.

Playtonic told me that they were making it a point to address every single player critique and complaint from the 2017 release possible to finally create the definitive, best version of the game in 2025. The IP was such a big passion project, so they felt they owed it to both themselves and their players to take another stab at the game and improve it in every possible regard for Yooka-Replaylee.

Now partnered with PM Studios, a publisher known for being a champion of both indies and physical game collecting alike, Yooka-Replaylee has become one of the coolest success stories of 2025. I've 100%-ed this new version of the game and gave it an absolutely glowing 9.5/10 review score back when I played the digital edition on PS5 in October.

As a lifelong fan of platformers, I can vouch for Yooka-Replaylee being my personal favorite collect-a-thon experience in well over a decade. It feels like the ultimate version of the best Nintendo 64 game ever, and I really have not been able to stop singing the game's praises since release. Plenty of others in the industry agree that Yooka-Replaylee is a journey well-worth embarking upon.

Please understand, this is not simply a visual remaster of the 2017 title. Yooka-Replaylee feels like a ground-up reimagining of the original experience, and is jam-packed with new objectives, activities, power-ups, collectibles, improved visuals, and so much more. Even if you've played the original title and enjoyed it, you're still missing out if you don't give Yooka-Replaylee a full playthrough too.

The Physical, Retail Release And Switch 2 Demo

While the digital version of the game has already been out for over two months, and the physical retail version has now been released today, Nintendo Switch 2 players can check out Yooka-Replaylee via a free demo on the Nintendo eShop if they still aren't won over. What's great about this demo is that your progress will carry over to the full version of the game, should you choose to purchase it upon finishing the trial.

For anyone needing any extra convincing before making a purchase, this Switch 2 demo is a great way to test the waters. If you're like me, it won't take you long at all to realize that Yooka-Replaylee is a 3D platformer that you absolutely should add to your game collection, whether that be physically or digitally.

For those wanting to obtain a physical copy of the game, you're now able to do so from Walmart, Target, Amazon, and other major retailers. Besides just the objective coolness of having a great game to add to your shelf, the physical copies of Yooka-Replaylee also come along with a collectible map poster and set of character stickers from the game.

Yooka-Replaylee already being so wonderful, alongside these additional goodies within the case, makes this the perfect holiday gift to grab for anyone in your life that loves a video game that is simply fun from start to finish. The game is rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB, so it's a great option for gamers young and old who want to enjoy one of the best modern 3D platformers currently on the market.