Every Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Game On Switch 2, Ranked

10. Pokémon Colosseum (GCN)

One of the more unique and curious entries in the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon Colosseum not only thrusts you into the role of an established trainer, but you’re also tasked with snagging Pokémon from your opponents instead of catching them out in the field.

It’s a bold choice that we feel likely wouldn’t go down so well in a mainline title, but feels right at home in this oddball spin-off. Friends can get together and take part in tournaments, and Colosseum let you link up the Game Boy Advance titles so you could trade to your heart’s content.

We’d love to see this spin-off series make a return, but in the meantime this will be playable on Switch 2.

9. Mario Smash Football (GCN)

8. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (GCN)

7. Chibi-Robo (GCN)

Chibi-Robo is difficult to describe because it doesn’t neatly fit into any particular category or genre. It’s part-platformer, part-adventure, part-amiable helper game which mixes in elements of Toy Story as you work to help the Sanderson family solve their everyday problems.

The eponymous altruistic robot himself is a charming little chap who’s starred in several games since this GameCube introduction (and he also has the most devastatingly cute amiibo imaginable), but he’s never quite reached the heights of his debut here. Lovely.

6. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Mario’s decades-long run of hit after hit after hit is incredible when you think about it. The expectations each new mainline entry creates are astronomically high and we’re continually gobsmacked that, more often than not, those expectations are surpassed with the next one.

Available on Switch if you have a copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Sunshine lacks the immaculate polish we’ve come to expect from the Mario series thanks to its rushed development. However, there’s a unique charm and brilliance to its mechanics and setting which make it an underdog Mario game, and who doesn’t love one of those?

As a direct sequel to Super Mario 64, it is not the genre-defining classic everyone hoped for. However, decades later we can look back and appreciate the many things Sunshine does superbly. The Sunshine Defence Force may be overcompensating — it’s certainly got its flaws — but at the very least, it’s still very good in our eyes.

The joyful, bouncing Isle Delfino theme alone makes it worth revisiting, so if you’ve skipped this entry in Mario’s back catalogue, don’t let its reputation put you off.

5. SoulCalibur II (GCN)

The Dreamcast original SoulCalibur was a momentous fighting game for home consoles that brought arcade-quality visuals into the home that had even the staunchest fanboys on other consoles gawping jealously at Sega’s ill-fated system.

Fortunately for them, a multiplatform sequel would arrive in 2003 and GameCube got a bonus that made it the definite pick of the bunch. Yes, the impressive visuals and weapon-based brawling was all present and correct, but Nintendo gamers were treated to Link from The Legend of Zelda joining the roster with the Master Sword in hand.

That single detail was enough to draw in players who might never have touched it otherwise, and very glad they were, too. Take Link out and it’s still an excellent fighting game — one of the very best ever made, in fact — but he really was the cherry on this rather delicious cake.

4. Luigi’s Mansion (GCN)

3. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GCN)

The first home console Fire Emblem to be released in the West — and only the third to be localised — GameCube’s Path of Radiance introduced us to Ike, leader of the Greil Mercenaries and rocker of a blue barnet.

The game was the first in the series to feature fully 3D graphics, and features (in our opinion) the strongest story of any game in the series.

Ike would go on to join the fight in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and gain notoriety there before returning in the Wii sequel to this game, Radiant Dawn. Unfortunately, this luminary pair of home-console Emblems aren’t too easy to find physically these days, with both of them still exclusive to their original hardware and fetching eye-watering prices on the secondhand market.

By modern standards, Path of Radiance is lacking somewhat when it comes to presentation, but how we’d love to be able to play it anew without having to crack out the ‘Cube! Good news that it’ll soon be easily accessible on Switch 2, then. We like Ike.

2. F-Zero GX (GCN)

1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)

Given the ‘Cel-da’ controversy that blighted the game at its initial reveal, it’s fitting that The Wind Waker has come to be so loved and admired over time.

Where other games of the era struggle under the weight of modern high-definition scrutiny, Toon Link’s maiden voyage looks almost as fresh as the day we first set out from Outset Isle to discover what had happened to the Hyrule we once knew.

It’s not without flaws (and the HD remake on Wii U addressed many of them) but thinking back, we don’t dwell on the repetitive wind conducting, the infamous Triforce shard hunt, or Tingle’s sea chart extortion. No, it’s the rainbow colours of the tempestuous ocean, the breezy panpipes of Dragon Roost, and the salty self-reflection our voyages brought about that stick in the memory.

Beneath the surface, it’s very much a continuation of the 3D Zelda template laid down in Ocarina of Time, but there’s undeniable magic in The Wind Waker, and despite its imperfections, it’s still one of our very favourites of the series.

So there you go: all GameCube games on Switch 2. A fine little selection, wouldn’t you agree?

GameCube Nintendo Switch 2 Online FAQ

Finally, we answer some common questions Nintendo Life readers have about the GameCube games on Switch 2.

Are there any other GameCube games on Switch (2)?

Super Mario Sunshine is included in Super Mario 3D All-Stars if you have a copy (it was a limited-time release, although it’s still easy to find physical versions).

Elsewhere, the excellent Metroid Prime was remastered for Switch in the even-more-excellent (and predictably titled) Metroid Prime Remastered. Likewise, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door brought the classic RPG to Switch and is therefore playable on Switch 2.

Other GameCube games on Switch 2 (not part of NSO) include the first two Pikmin games, Baten Kaitos 1 and 2, REmake and RE4, Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, and Tales of Symphonia.

How can I change the ranking in this article?

This is a dynamic, real-time ranking compiled via the User Ratings awarded by Nintendo Life readers.

You can add (or even change) your User Ratings for every game you’ve played at any time, even after publication. Try searching for your favourite Switch 2 GameCube games in the box below and rate them to influence the order.

If you’re wanting to pick up a Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership to play any or all of these games, grab a subscription here:

Let us know your thoughts below. New games added to the service will appear here, too. And if you’re after a full list of every Nintendo Switch Online retro game currently available, we’re happy to oblige.

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