Gradius Origins announced for Nintendo Switch

Today, it was announced that Gradius Origins is heading to Nintendo Switch. The package launches on August 7, 2025.

Gradius Origins packs in 17 versions of six arcade classics. You’ll be getting Gradius, Salamander, Life Force, Gradius 2, Gradius 3, and Salamander 2 here. On top of that, Gradius 3 AM Show version will be thrown in. That’s not all though, as the brand new Salamander 3 will be available.

New gameplay features are planned for the collection. These include rewind, save anywhere, reduced hit detection, invincible mode, and more.

Here’s a full rundown of everything included:

This collection features 18 versions across all 7 arcade titles in the series, including the first-ever appearance of Gradius III AM Show Version on home consoles.

A variety of helpful new features have been added to the games, including save states, a rewind feature, and Invincible Mode. The new Training Mode lets you adjust settings like restart points, loop counts, and power-up statuses to help hone your skills to perfection. There’s also a gallery feature that includes music from the game, a variety of images from each title, and much, much more!

1. Salamander III

2. Gradius
JP ROM Ver. / JP Bubble Ver. / NA Ver. (NEMESIS) / EU Ver. (NEMESIS) / NA Prototype (NEMESIS)

3. Salamander
JP Ver. / NA Ver.(LIFE FORCE)

4. Life Force
JP Ver.

5. Gradius  II: Gofer no Yabou
JP Early Ver. / JP Mid Ver. / JP Late Ver. / NA Ver.(VULCAN VENTURE)

6. Gradius III: Densetsu kara Shinwa e
JP Old Ver. / JP New Ver. / Asia Ver. / JP AM Show Ver.

7. Salamander 2
JP Ver.

New modes, support features, and quality of life improvements

• Quicksave / Quickload: Save and load your game data at any point during gameplay.
• Rewind: Rewind your gameplay whenever and wherever you want during a game.
• Easy Mode: This mode makes the game easier to play by reducing the size of your ship’s hitbox.
• Invincible Mode: This mode makes your ship impervious to enemy fire and only counts the number of times you were hit.
• Training Mode: This mode lets you hone your skills by adjusting settings such as restart points, loop counts, and power-up statuses. * This mode is only available in certain game versions.
• Online Rankings: Add your score to the leaderboards after getting a game over. Earn a top ranking to upload a replay of your game along with your score.
• Sound Gallery: Listen to the original soundtrack from each title as well as arrangements from previously released CD albums.
• Visual Gallery: View the games’ original instruction cards and developmental resources.
• Gradius Guide: Check your scores and a gallery of enemy characters from each of the original titles.
• You can also adjust various settings from each game’s Options screen, including arcade board DIP switches, screen filters, and a recreation of software bugs from the original release.

Fans can view the first trailer for Gradius Origins below.

Announcement Trailer

The collection will be sold physically and digitally – the former comes from Limited Run Games here. All news from today’s Nintendo Direct can be found here.