Get ready to dive back into a beloved era of gaming! With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is getting a major upgrade: Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics. This new library, exclusive to Switch 2 players with the Expansion Pack membership, brings classic titles from the 2001 console to modern hardware.
At launch, you can set sail in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, clash in SOULCALIBUR II, and race at breakneck speeds in F-ZERO GX. More titles will be added in the future, with games like Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, Super Mario Strikers, Luigi’s Mansion, Pokemon Colosseum, and Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! having been shown as coming to the service.
This is a significant addition, as the GameCube was previously excluded from Nintendo's Virtual Console lineups. Sources suggest that emulation challenges might have played a role, but the Switch 2's hardware may be powerful enough to overcome these. These games, many of which are costly on the secondhand market, will now be officially available to play.
Experience these classics with clearer image quality and higher resolution, multiplayer support (locally and online for select titles like SOULCALIBUR II), suspend points, rewind, and the ability to customize controls. Some games will even support widescreen mode if they originally did.
To enhance the nostalgic experience, a dedicated wireless GameCube controller designed after the original is also launching the same day as the Switch 2. This controller, available exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online members, includes a C Button for the new Switch 2 GameChat feature and additional ZL/ZR buttons. Note that this new GameCube controller is exclusive to the Switch 2 and only works with the GameCube games available via Nintendo Switch Online.
Join us as we discuss the excitement around the GameCube's return, the launch lineup, the new controller, and what this means for the future of Nintendo Switch Online!
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