It’s 2001, and you’re sprawled out on your living room floor, a chunky GameCube controller in hand, guiding Link across the vibrant seas of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or racing at breakneck speeds in F-Zero GX. Fast forward to today, and that nostalgia is about to hit your Nintendo Switch. Tucked into the avalanche of news from the recent Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo dropped a bombshell that’s got fans buzzing: GameCube games are finally coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Set to launch alongside the Switch 2 on June 5th, this addition is poised to bring a wave of classics to the service’s Expansion Pack tier, complete with sharper visuals and a casual nod to the past. Here’s everything you need to know about this long-awaited update.

Nintendo Switch Online

If you’ve been along for the ride since Nintendo Switch Online kicked off in 2018, you’ve seen it evolve from a bare-bones service into a treasure trove of retro gaming goodness. The base subscription, priced at $19.99 a year, gets you cloud saves, online multiplayer, and a rotating lineup of games from the NES, SNES, and Game Boy libraries—plus the recently added Nintendo Music app for jamming to classic tunes. Want more? The Expansion Pack tier, at $49.99 annually, ups the ante with N64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance titles, alongside DLC for heavyweights like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Splatoon 3.

But for all its growth, there’s been a glaring gap: the GameCube. Launched in 2001, this quirky purple box gave us some of Nintendo’s most enduring classics—games that defined a generation but have largely stayed locked in the past, accessible only to those with aging hardware or pricey secondhand discs. Sure, Nintendo has tossed us a few bones over the years, remastering hits like Metroid Prime and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the Switch, or slipping Super Mario Sunshine into the limited-time Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection (before pulling it from shelves). But a full-on GameCube library? That’s been the stuff of fan dreams—until now.

The lineup: what’s coming June 5th?

Nintendo’s not messing around with this rollout. The initial batch of GameCube games hitting Nintendo Switch Online is a love letter to fans, packed with heavy hitters and hidden gems alike. Here’s what’s confirmed so far:

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Sail the Great Sea in this timeless adventure, now with a visual glow-up.
• Super Mario Sunshine – Mario’s tropical vacation, complete with FLUDD, is back for more water-spraying action.
• F-Zero GX – The high-octane racer that still leaves modern titles in the dust.
• Soul Calibur 2 – A fighting game classic featuring Link as a guest star on the GameCube version.
• Luigi’s Mansion – Luigi’s spooky debut, perfect for handheld ghost-hunting sessions.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance – Ike’s epic RPG journey, once a rare gem fetching triple-digit prices on eBay.
• Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness – A darker twist on the Pokémon formula, ripe for rediscovery.
• Pokémon Colosseum – Another Pokémon spin-off that’s been tough to track down.
• Super Mario Strikers – Soccer with a Mario-sized dose of chaos.
• Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! – A quirky cult classic about a tiny robot with big dreams.

This lineup is a mix of blockbusters and niche favorites, offering something for everyone. Nintendo’s promising “clearer image quality” and higher resolution than the originals, which ran at a max of 480p back in the day. Think sharper textures and brighter colors, tailored for the Switch’s 1080p docked and 720p handheld displays. It’s not a full remake-level overhaul, but if the N64 upgrades on the service are any indication—think smoother frame rates and upscaled visuals—these GameCube classics should feel right at home in 2025.

The GameCube’s arrival isn’t just a nostalgia grab—it’s a big deal for Nintendo Switch Online’s future. The Expansion Pack tier has taken flak since its 2021 debut, with some subscribers griping that the jump from $19.99 to $49.99 didn’t feel worth it. Adding N64 and Sega Genesis games helped, but the absence of GameCube titles left a hole in the service’s retro lineup. Now, Nintendo’s plugging that gap with a console that’s been a fan-favorite request for years.

This move could be a game-changer for subscriber numbers. Titles like Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance—which routinely sells for over $200 on the secondhand market—suddenly become accessible to anyone with an Expansion Pack sub. Same goes for cult hits like Chibi-Robo! and Pokémon XD, which have loyal followings but limited availability. It’s a win for players who don’t want to shell out collector prices, and it might just convince skeptics to give the pricier tier a shot.

Plus, it’s a step toward preserving gaming history. Physical GameCube discs and consoles aren’t getting any younger, and while emulation has kept these games alive unofficially, having official versions on a modern platform ensures they won’t fade into obscurity.

What’s next?

Ten games are a solid start, but it’s hard not to wonder what’s around the corner. Nintendo loves a slow drip—NES, SNES, and N64 libraries have grown steadily over time—so more GameCube titles seem like a safe bet. Fan wishlist staples like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, or Mario Kart: Double Dash!! could easily join the roster in future updates. And with the Switch 2 on the horizon, boasting beefier hardware, the technical ceiling for these ports might keep rising.

There’s also the multiplayer angle. Last year, Nintendo ran a hush-hush online playtest that had fans speculating about GameCube games with online features—think Double Dash!! races or Melee brawls over the internet. It turned out to be for an unrelated MMO, but the idea lingers. Nintendo’s already added online play to some N64 titles on the service, so it’s not a stretch to imagine them doing the same for GameCube multiplayer classics down the line. No confirmation yet, but the potential’s there, and it’s got us daydreaming.

Looking even further ahead, this could open the door to other consoles. The Wii, with its massive library of motion-controlled hits, feels like a natural next step—imagine Super Mario Galaxy or Wii Sports on your Switch. The Wii U’s underrated catalog (Splatoon, anyone?) could follow suit. Nintendo’s playing the long game here, and the GameCube’s arrival might just be the spark that turns Switch Online into the ultimate retro hub.

When those GameCube games hit Nintendo Switch Online on June 5th, it’ll be more than just a blast from the past—it’ll be a chance to relive some of gaming’s golden moments with a modern twist. Whether you’re a veteran who sank hours into Wind Waker two decades ago or a newbie curious about Luigi’s Mansion’s origins, there’s something here to love. The upgraded visuals are a nice perk, but the real win is having these classics at your fingertips, no dusty console required.

For Nintendo, it’s a savvy play to juice up the Expansion Pack and keep subscribers hooked. For fans, it’s a nostalgic victory lap that’s been years in the making. And who knows? If this takes off, we might be talking about Wii games or online Smash battles before long. For now, mark your calendars for June 5th, grab your Switch, and get ready to dive back into the GameCube era—because this time, it’s portable, polished, and ready for a new generation to enjoy.