Nintendo has revealed that GameCube games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online as part of the Expansion Pack addon, but only if you’ve got a Switch 2.
The service, which already allows you to play the likes of SNES, Game Boy Advance, and N64 games, will be getting GameCube games on the same day as the Switch 2’s launch, which, in case you missed it, is June 5th.
Several GameCube games will be available for the service at launch, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, fighting game SoulCalibur 2 (complete with Link’s cameo, of course), and racer F-Zero GX. See? Nintendo hasn’t completely forgotten the franchise!
GameCube games that support multiplayer will support four players either locally or online, and Nintendo is promising “higher resolution” and clearer image quality than the originals, as well as customizable controls.
Other games being added in the future include the likes of Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (and Pokemon Colosseum), Super Mario Strikers, Chibi-Robo, and Luigi’s Mansion.
Notable by its absence is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, so hopefully, Nintendo is planning to release an updated version of that game along the lines of 2023’s Metroid Prime Remastered. A man can dream, right?
A dedicated GameCube controller designed in the same way as the original peripheral is also being released, and that, too, will be available on the same day as the Switch 2. You’ll need to be a Switch Online member if you want to pick it up, though.
In addition to being able to play GameCube games, you will, of course, still be able to play all the games that are currently available via the Switch Online service.
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5th. Its GameCube lineup, and GameCube controller (if you’re a Switch Online member), also launch on the same day.