Earlier this week, Nintendo announced that they’re finally bringing GameCube games to their subscription-based Nintendo Switch Online service—now known as Nintendo Classics—with one major catch: GameCube games are only for Switch 2.
The GameCube is one of my absolute favorite game consoles and fans like me have been waiting for Nintendo to finally add it to the growing catalog of systems included with Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait much longer since the Switch 2 is out very soon and three GameCube titles will hit the Nintendo Classics lineup straight away on that day.
GameCube Games on Switch 2
At launch, the GameCube lineup will consist of three fan-favorite titles: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-ZERO GX, and Soulcalibur II. The inclusion of Soulcalibur II is particularly interesting because that’s of course a Bandai Namco series, but its second entry famously included exclusive guest characters on each of its respective platforms. In the GameCube version (the best version, in my opinion), you can play as Link from The Legend of Zelda series. I have fond memories of unlocking all of Link’s various costumes and weapons in the single-player Weapon Master mode. His arsenal is full of great references to the Zelda franchise.
More titles are also coming in the future for the GameCube selection in Nintendo Classics, as Nintendo specifically showed Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Super Mario Strikers, Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure, Luigi’s Mansion, and Pokémon Colosseum all on-screen during the reveal.
According to the YouTube video description and voiceover in the announcement video, players will “enjoy clearer image quality, with higher screen resolution than the original GameCube releases” and compatible titles will support both local and online multiplayer. Racing in F-ZERO GX online or pitting Nightmare against Link in Soulcalibur II with a friend on the other side of the world is going to be wild. You’ll be able to remap and customize the controls for each game as well.
In addition to the fact that you’ll only have access to GameCube games with a Switch 2—not the existing Nintendo Switch—you will also have to subscribe to the optional highest tier of Nintendo Switch Online dubbed the Expansion Pack, which also includes Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64 titles, among other bonuses and DLC.
As if that wasn’t enough news for GameCube fans in the year 2025, Nintendo also revealed that a dedicated GameCube controller will be released for the Switch that looks just like the original indigo version. It will be wireless similar to the other Nintendo Classics controllers such as the NES, SNES, N64, and Genesis options.
