Ah. The year is 2006, and I'm foraying into videogames for the first time via peering over my sister's shoulder while she plays. I watch as she loads up a website with a bunch of cute animal cartoons on it, and beg my parents to let me play, too. I am, of course, five years old, so I'm too young for now, but soon I will know the trials and tribulations of Neopia, and so will all of you. Really, it was the big three back in the day: Club Penguin, Webkinz, and of course, Neopets. While many of us played two or three of them, some were among the few to die on the Neopets hill, and, well, it turns out they may have been onto something: only one has stood the test of time. Only one has a real game coming out in the year of our lord 2026. Only one will ever see the Nintendo Switch. Neopets: Mega Mini Games Collection has won the battle.
While Club Penguin came to a sad and crashing halt, and Webkinz has mostly fallen off into the realms of irrelevance, Neopets stays culturally relevant with the March 26, 2026, release of Neopets: Mega Mini Games Collection on a number of different platforms and in both digital and physical versions. The game will feature 25 (or 26 in the digital version) classic minigames - you can check out which minigames made the cut here.
That's not all, though, as the game will have a full map of Neopia to explore with your pets, a local co-op mode, and seasonal events - plus, there'll be a ton of lore to uncover in story mode. Though it's called 'mini games collection', there's more to be found, so for long-time fans of the game, or even those just looking to revisit the era of choosing between the Internet and the landline phone, it'll be a treat.
Don't worry, I know what's on your mind, and yes, you can indeed link up your existing Neopets account to your Mega Mini Games Collection so you can keep earning cosmetics and currency to use on the main site. There are physical goodies to be won too, as if you choose to invest in a physical edition, you'll receive the Neopian Treasure Pack. It contains a bundle of Neopets goodies, including art cards, stickers, posters, and a shiny collectors bag, plus a scratch card, which we can easily imagine will have a code for in-game prizes. Pre-orders for this version will start to crop up from today at retailers, so keep your eyes peeled, and digital pre-orders will follow soon so you can wishlist the game.
Some Neoheads online are a little disappointed, as the minigames listed are mostly ones you can already play for free. However, others see this as a chance to get the game boosted back up into the mainstream and test the waters for potential other Neopets content. A DLC has additionally been hinted at in the announcement, so maybe there's more to come. Either way, with the physical collector's edition, it's clear that the developer knows what's up, as they know people would love to be able to own the game officially, so I think this is a great move. I know I still wistfully look at my copy of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force for Nintendo DS from time to time.
That's all the scoop on Neopets: Mega Mini Games Collection, but the nostalgia never stops. Take a look at our write-up of the Wizard 101 announcement, and grab yourself a new nostalgic game soon with Videoverse. I'm sure they'll end up among the best Switch games.