Where to Start · Banjo-Kazooie
Where to Start with Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is Rare's beloved N64 collect-a-thon platformer series — big hub worlds, sharp writing, and jigsaw puzzles gated behind every shiny pickup you missed the first time through. See every release on GameOrder; the path below is the order fans still swear by.
Start here: Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie (1998) is the right front door — start at the beginning. It remains one of the strongest 3D platformers ever made: Grant Kirkhope hooks, clever character moves, and level design that teaches you to scour every corner without feeling cheap. It still plays cleanly on modern re-releases if you don't have an N64 hooked up.
Next up: Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie (2000) follows as a direct sequel with bigger hubs, interconnected worlds, and expanded moveset teamwork between bear and bird. Finish the first game, carry the jokes forward, then dive into the rarer, wilder second act.
Not your first Banjo — Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts swaps the platforming core for vehicle building and combat. It has fans as a Lego-box sandbox, but it's widely regarded as a poor stand-in for what the classic Banjo platformers are about — don't let it define your first impression.
Availability — Nuts & Bolts is delisted: the Xbox 360 marketplace closed in July 2024, so owning it now typically means a physical Xbox 360 copy (or access through legacy hardware that already has it installed).