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Donkey Kong Bananza 2025

Video game · Nintendo Switch 2

Platform, action-adventure

Developed by Nintendo EPDPublished by Nintendo

Donkey Kong Bananza is a 2025 platform video game developed by Nintendo EPD for the Nintendo Switch 2. Players control the gorilla Donkey Kong as he journeys to the planetary core alongside the teenage Pauline. The gameplay resembles EPD's Super Mario Odyssey (2017), featuring open-world exploration, objective completion, enemy battles, and item collection. What sets Bananza apart is its destructible environments—players can demolish most terrain to uncover paths and collectibles. Ability upgrades are achieved by gathering banana-shaped diamonds and acquiring power-up transformations.

EPD started work on Donkey Kong Bananza after finishing Super Mario Odyssey, prompted by a request from manager Yoshiaki Koizumi. It marked the first internally created Donkey Kong title since Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2004), with input from Koizumi and creator Shigeru Miyamoto. The team aimed to respect Donkey Kong’s legacy while forging a new path. They expanded on voxel technology used in some Odyssey levels, crafting expansive worlds where terrain manipulation highlights Donkey Kong's strength. Development began on the original Nintendo Switch but moved to the Switch 2 due to technical limitations.

Nintendo released Donkey Kong Bananza on July 17, 2025, supported by a marketing push including Nintendo Direct events, demo shows, and live service promotions. It was the first original Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) and the first 3D platformer since Donkey Kong 64 (1999). Critics acclaimed the game, calling it a Switch 2 killer app and praising its visuals, gameplay, level design, and narrative. Some noted issues with camera angles and frame rate. The title has sold 4.78 million copies, ranking it as the third best-selling Switch 2 game. It was among the top-rated games of 2025 and received multiple award nominations, including Game of the Year.

Crew

Director

Wataru Tanaka, Kazuya Takahashi

Designer

Kazuya Takahashi

Programmer

Wataru Tanaka, Tatsuya Kurihara

Artist

Daisuke Watanabe

Producer

Kenta Motokura

Music

Naoto Kubo

Details

Developer

Nintendo EPD

Publisher

Nintendo

Platforms

Nintendo Switch 2

Modes

Single-player, multiplayer

Series

Donkey Kong

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