As part of today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation, we learned about how Nintendo Switch Online will work on the new console, including the news everyone’s been waiting for: GameCube titles are on the way.
It’s a major update to the Nintendo Switch Online library that will grant subscribers access to a laundry list of classic 2000s-era titles, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2, which will all be available at launch this summer. Of course, this library will be expanded upon in the years to come, with some teased titles including Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Strikers, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more.
The GameCube launch lineup arrives alongside the Switch 2 this June and will be available for those who subscribe to the Expansion Pack Nintendo Switch Online tier. If you’re looking to make your trip down memory lane even more nostalgic, you can pick up the newly announced wireless GameCube controller for Switch 2. It comes with a C button and arrives on the My Nintendo Store the same day as the Switch 2’s launch.
We’ve known for a while that Nintendo Switch Online would be present on Nintendo Switch 2, and fans have been hoping ever since that we would get upgrades to the retro offerings and other features. The Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online launched in 2021, to include N64 and Sega Genesis games, and then expanded again in 2023 to include GBA and GameBoy games, which gave fans hope that Nintendo DS and GameCube or other might be next. We’ve also been holding our breath for the ultimate result of the Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program from last fall, which leaked immediately after it went live.
Thankfully, Switch 2 owners who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online will continue to have access to the NES, SNES, and Game Boy libraries for the standard tier, as well as the Sega Genesis, Nitnendo 64, and Game Boy Advance libraries for the Expansion Pack tier. For everything else we saw at today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, check out our roundup.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
