Classic GBA Game Gets New Release on Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy Advance app has a new arrival, and it happens to be a very well-regarded game. This time around, Nintendo has brought over Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. Originally released on GBA back in 2004, the game received highly-positive reviews. For those that have already played Fire Emblem on the GBA app, the release of The Sacred Stones should be quite welcome. Since this was also one of the first games in the series to be translated into English, it could also be a nice entry point for those that have never played a Fire Emblem before.

As with all the rest of the games on the GBA app, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is only playable for those that subscribe to the Expansion Pack tier. In June, a GameCube app will also be made available through that tier, but only to those that own Nintendo Switch 2. For Fire Emblem fans, this will mean the chance to play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, a game that currently goes for absurd prices on eBay. The game was confirmed for the service during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct earlier this month, but it will not be among the first batch of games released. A trailer for the Switch release of The Sacred Stones can be found below.

While The Sacred Stones is the lone new game release, Nintendo Switch Online has one more surprise for fans of Fire Emblem. Alongside the GBA game’s arrival, the soundtrack for Fire Emblem Engage has been added to the Nintendo Music mobile app. In total, 182 tracks from the game can now be found on the app, spanning both the base game and its expansion pass. This is just the second Fire Emblem soundtrack now available through Nintendo Music, but hopefully it will lead to a lot more.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is now the 25th GBA game available through Nintendo Switch Online. While many of the other Nintendo Classics apps have included third-party games, the GBA app has strictly stuck to games published by Nintendo thus far. There’s a chance that will change in the future, but many third-party developers have instead opted to release their older GBA games through the eShop. Titles like Mega Man Battle Network, Ninja Five-O, and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow can all be played on Nintendo Switch, but only through compilations and other modern releases.

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During its time on the market, Game Boy Advance offered a lot of really great games, and it’s nice to see yet another made available to new audiences. It doesn’t hurt that this is a highly-regarded game, either. Hopefully Nintendo will continue to release a steady stream of classics, because there are still a whole lot that have never been offered on Switch in any capacity!

Do you plan on checking out Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones through Nintendo Switch Online? Did you play the game when it was released on Game Boy Advance? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!