City Hunter’s 1990 Sunsoft Classic Returns in 2026 — With “Get Wild,” Switch 2 Support, and A

City Hunter’s Remaster Caught My Eye for One Big Reason: “Get Wild” Is In

Retro revivals are everywhere, but most of them stumble on one thing: music licensing. So when Clouded Leopard Entertainment and Red Art Games said SUNSOFT’s 1990 City Hunter is coming back on February 26, 2026-and they actually secured TM Network’s iconic “Get Wild”-that’s the detail that made me sit up. We’re talking about an anime ending theme so baked into City Hunter’s DNA that the show practically invented the “ending track starts before the cut to credits” mic drop. Keeping it in is a signal they’re trying to do this one right.

• Launches Feb 26, 2026 on Switch 2, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).
• Includes English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish localization.
• “Get Wild” is licensed and in-huge for authenticity.
• Physical editions for Switch/PS5 in Europe on Mar 26 (Ryo Saeba’s birthday); Deluxe limited to 500 per platform.

Breaking Down the Announcement

This is a remaster of SUNSOFT’s 1990 City Hunter on the PC Engine, handled by Clouded Leopard (publishing) with development and Western distribution from Red Art Games. It’s a 2D action game inspired by Season 1 of the anime—Ryo Saeba versus a megacorp conspiracy—framed as an original side story. In other words, it’s not a modern reimagining; it’s the original format polished up for current hardware.

Platforms cover pretty much everything, including Nintendo’s next machine. Seeing “Switch 2” named outright tells you this project isn’t just a quick flip; they’re aiming for day-and-date relevance in 2026. PC wishlisting is already live on Steam, and Red Art says more “new features and quality-of-life improvements” will be revealed in the coming months.

Why This Matters Now

Licensed retro games almost always get compromised. Crazy Taxi lost its iconic soundtrack. Older GTA reissues ended up with missing tracks. Even cult classics like Alan Wake had music swaps. City Hunter keeping “Get Wild” is the opposite story: an anime tie-in that can finally feel like itself again in the West thanks to proper localization and the right music. If you care about preservation with respect, this is the kind of win we rarely get.

It’s also SUNSOFT continuing a quiet comeback. The studio’s 8/16-bit era craft—think Batman on NES or Gimmick!—has aged better than most. If this remaster preserves the feel (snappy inputs, readable enemy patterns) and adds modern convenience, we might get something that still plays in 2026 without sandblasting off its 1990 charm.

The Real Test: Features We Need (Not Just Marketing Buzz)

Red Art Games is promising features and QoL details “later,” which is PR for “not ready to say.” Here’s what will actually matter at launch:

• Control options and input latency: Let us remap everything, offer modern and classic layouts, and get input lag down across all platforms.
• Presentation toggles: Widescreen support, original aspect ratio, CRT filters that don’t look like smeared Vaseline, and clean pixels for the purists.
• Fair continue systems: Quick saves and optional rewind for new players, with a “classic rules” mode for masochists and leaderboard chasers.
• Audio respect: A music player that includes “Get Wild” and any regional audio variants, volume sliders that don’t bury vocals/effects.
• Extras that matter: Art gallery, manual scans, ads, dev notes—follow the Cowabunga Collection museum playbook, not the barebones “ROM on a menu” approach.

I’m also hoping the localization keeps City Hunter’s tone intact. Ryo Saeba is a walking contradiction—goofy lech turned razor-sharp pro—and sanding that edge off would miss why fans showed up. Translate it honestly; content warnings are fine, sanitization isn’t.

Physical Editions: Cool Collectible or FOMO Trap?

Europe gets Standard, Collector’s, and a Deluxe Edition (limited to 500 per platform) on Switch and PS5, dated for March 26, 2026—Ryo’s birthday, which is a nice touch. The Deluxe being store-exclusive screams FOMO, and 500 copies is basically born-for-scalpers territory. If you’re a collector, set an alarm. If you’re just here to play, wait until Red Art details what’s actually in each box before committing.

One oddity: press materials list pre-orders opening on Friday, September 26, 2026—after the physical release date. That’s almost certainly a typo, but the mismatch is worth flagging until clarified. Also note: no Xbox physical version mentioned, so Series X|S looks digital-only for now.

Who This Is For (And What Could Elevate It)

If you grew up on City Hunter or you’re deep into Sunsoft’s catalog, this is an easy watchlist add. For everyone else, think of it as a time capsule from the late-’80s/early-’90s action game playbook: tight stages, learnable patterns, and a vibe that lives and dies on style. If Red Art and CLE deliver a zero-compromise soundtrack, smart modern options, and a decent archival package, City Hunter could sit alongside the better retro revivals we’ve gotten this gen.

TL;DR

City Hunter’s 1990 Sunsoft game returns on Feb 26, 2026 with multi-language support, Switch 2 compatibility, and—crucially—“Get Wild” intact. The music license and localization make this more than a quick cash-in, but the final verdict hinges on real QoL features and whether the physical editions avoid pure FOMO bait. Watch for concrete details before you lock in a pre-order.