Find out when you can go bananas and play Nintendo's first major first-party exclusive release of the year, with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD arriving very soon.

It might be a new year, but the constant rumours of an impending announcement continue to swirl. Before addressing the excitement of a potential successor, however, the house of is kicking off the year in a big way by bringing back one of its most beloved 2D platforming franchises. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD promises to be a full-on remaster of the 2010 classic originally released for , looking to bring the banana-fuelled action to a whole new audience who own ’s current hybrid console. If you’re someone who falls into this category, you’ll want to know the specific Donkey Kong Country Returns HD release date.

Donkey Kong Country Returns might seem like a strange candidate to receive the HD treatment – similar to , last year – given that its successor, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is already available on the platform. That said, there’s never a bad time to roll, jump, and ride your way through no less than 80 bombastic levels across nine inventive worlds. This kind of variety and joy is something that Donkey Kong Country Returns provides by the bucketload – and now players will be able to enjoy all this for the first time in high-definition at a vastly improved framerate. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait long to experience these extra benefits.

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The Donkey Kong Country Returns HD release date is Thursday, January 16. Nintendo itself is yet to disclose an official Donkey Kong Country Returns HD release time for those who pre-order the game digitally through the Nintendo eShop. However, seeing as it's another first-party release arriving on a Thursday, we can assume it will be the same as the recent , meaning Donkey Kong Country Returns HD should be playable at around 12am GMT / 12am EST on January 16, and for US players on the West coast that's 9pm PST on Wednesday, January 15.

This is also in line with most other Nintendo first-party releases that see titles launch at midnight local time. The US is an exception to this as launches in the region are dictated by Eastern Time, meaning that those on the West Coast technically get access slightly earlier according to their local time.

Following the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD release date next week, Nintendo’s release calendar for 2025 is looking surprisingly barren. 4: Beyond is the next first-party exclusive we know is set to release this year, but it’s not been given a specific release date, and is speculated by many to be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title. Does this mean Donkey Kong Country Returns HD might be the last significant exclusive released on Nintendo Switch? Quite possibly.