The Arwing is getting company on the couch. Nintendo and Velan Studios rolled out version 1.2.0 of Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 today, and the headline feature is exactly what Battle Mode was missing: up to four players can now dogfight on a single console in split-screen.
Each player needs their own controller, and in a welcome touch, Joy-Con 2 and original Joy-Con controllers work in solo horizontal grip while playing split-screen. The couch crew doesn’t have to stay offline, either — split-screen players can team up and jump into online random matches together as a unit.
The update also expands Battle Mode’s battlefield with three new stages, each built around its own objective. On Katina, pilots fight for control of platforms to fire a powerful laser at their rivals. Sector X is a survival run: smash asteroids while destructive waves of energy sweep across the arena. And Venom asks players to scan data modules as they come online, then pull back before a deadly surge hits.
Beyond the new content, the patch smooths a long list of rough edges. Online Battle lobbies no longer disband when the host leaves. GameChat camera feeds now appear on the game screen when you shoot down an opponent, and third-party USB cameras that refused to cooperate with the game should behave better. Campaign and Challenge modes get polish too: clearer feedback when you’re damaging bosses, an adjusted Bolse Core weak point, and a clutch of crash and freeze fixes — including one where repeatedly hammering restart on Corneria could bring the game down.
As a bonus for the soundtrack crowd, Nintendo added the Star Fox score to its Nintendo Music app today: 62 tracks, two hours and seventeen minutes of space-opera synth.
The update is free and ready to download now on Nintendo Switch 2.
Sources:
– Nintendo Life: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/09/star-fox-version-1-2-0-is-now-live-here-are-the-full-patch-notes
– Gematsu: https://www.gematsu.com/2026/09/star-fox-version-1-2-0-update-now-available