Key Highlights:
- Super Mario Sunshine and Pokémon Colosseum remain confirmed for the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library on Switch 2.
- Nintendo previously showed both games as upcoming additions, although neither title currently has a confirmed release date.
- Only nine GameCube games are currently available through the service, with Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness being the most recent addition.
Super Mario Sunshine and Pokémon Colosseum are still expected to join the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library, giving Switch 2 players two major classics to look forward to. The problem is that Nintendo has yet to reveal when either game will actually arrive.
The GameCube Nintendo Classics app launched alongside Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025. Access requires an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, and the app is exclusive to Nintendo’s newer console.
The service currently offers nine GameCube games: Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, F-Zero GX, Luigi’s Mansion, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Soulcalibur II, Super Mario Strikers, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Wario World.
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness was the most recent addition, arriving in March 2026. Nintendo subsequently released an update for the GameCube app in April to address an issue involving the game, but the company has remained quiet about when the next addition will arrive.
Super Mario Sunshine and Pokémon Colosseum have already been shown as future games for the service. Both appeared during the original GameCube Nintendo Classics reveal in the April 2025 Nintendo Direct, but neither has received a release date.
The absence of Pokémon Colosseum is particularly unusual because Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is its sequel. Nintendo has effectively given Switch 2 subscribers access to the second game before adding its predecessor.
Pokémon Colosseum originally launched for GameCube in Japan in November 2003 before reaching North America and Europe in 2004. Unlike the mainline Pokémon games of its era, Colosseum does not revolve around traditional wild Pokémon encounters. Players instead capture, or “snag”, Shadow Pokémon belonging to other Trainers before working to purify them.
The game also supported connectivity with Generation III Game Boy Advance titles through the GameCube Game Boy Advance cable. Compatible games included Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen, although how or whether those original connectivity features could be represented through Nintendo Switch Online remains unclear.
Super Mario Sunshine is another significant omission from the current GameCube catalogue. Originally released in 2002, the 3D platformer takes Mario to Isle Delfino, where he uses the F.L.U.D.D. water device to clean pollution and navigate the island while pursuing Shadow Mario.
The game was previously available on Nintendo Switch through Super Mario 3D All-Stars alongside Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. However, Nintendo ended digital sales of the compilation in March 2021, making a Nintendo Switch Online release another potential way for current Switch 2 owners to access Super Mario Sunshine digitally.
The slow expansion of the GameCube library has become increasingly noticeable. Several months have passed since Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness joined the service, despite the GameCube having a sizeable catalogue of first-party and third-party games that could potentially be added.
Fans have highlighted other notable omissions, including Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox Assault, and the GameCube Mario Party games. Multiplayer titles could be particularly suited to Nintendo Switch Online, where modern online functionality can give older games another opportunity to reach new players.
Nintendo’s decision to gradually release classic games is nothing new, but the limited GameCube selection stands out more than a year after the app’s introduction. The existing catalogue contains several major releases alongside less obvious choices such as Chibi-Robo! and Wario World, yet many of the console’s best-known games remain unavailable.
For now, Super Mario Sunshine and Pokémon Colosseum are two additions players can expect based on Nintendo’s previous announcements. Exactly when they will join the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library remains the unanswered question.
