Starlink: Battle for Atlas, released October 16, 2018 by Ubisoft Toronto, is an open-world space-action game across multiple platforms — but the Nintendo Switch version is the only Star Fox appearance on Switch hardware before Star Fox 2026. The Switch edition includes a Switch-exclusive Star Fox campaign starring Fox McCloud, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy in the Arwing.
The Switch edition of Starlink: Battle for Atlas includes a full Star Fox subplot that interweaves with the main Atlas storyline. Fox McCloud is the only character permanently bound to his Arwing — he can't pilot any of the other Starlink ships — and Wolf O'Donnell, Pigma, Andrew Oikonny, and Leon Powalski all appear as villains. The arc is fully voice-acted by the Star Fox cast and runs ~6–8 hours alongside the main Starlink campaign.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is the only Star Fox content to appear on Switch (1) and the longest gap-filler the series has had. Between Star Fox Zero (2016) and Star Fox 2026 (2026), Starlink was — for eight years — the only place new Star Fox material existed. Many Switch-era fans who never owned a Wii U were introduced to the characters here.
Starlink launched as a toys-to-life game with physical ship and pilot toys that snapped onto the controller. Sales were poor, and Ubisoft pivoted to digital-only editions including the Starlink: Battle for Atlas — Star Fox Edition, which bundled the Star Fox campaign without requiring physical toys. The Star Fox Edition is the cleanest way to experience the crossover today.
Starlink reviewed in the high 70s overall, with the Switch version specifically praised for the Star Fox content. The toys-to-life model and the open-world's repetitiveness were the main critical complaints; the Star Fox campaign was widely cited as the best part of the Switch edition.