New GameCube Game Stealth-Released on Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo has today stealth-released a new GameCube game on Nintendo Switch Online for those subscribed at the Expansion Pack tier. Throughout 2026, Nintendo has slowly been added new titles to its burgeoning GameCube catalog. This lineup has up until now included the likes of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Super Mario Sunshine, and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Now, Nintendo has finally added a fourth GameCube game to Switch Online in 2026, and it’s one from the console’s early days.

Set to release later today, Star Fox Adventures will be joining Nintendo Switch Online. Originally released in 2002 and developed by Rare, Star Fox Adventures is by far the most unique entry in the Star Fox franchise, as it centers primarily on protagonist Fox McCloud exploring and fighting on-foot rather than in his iconic Arwing. Despite boasting a bit of a mixed reception amongst fans, Star Fox Adventures is still very much a classic GameCube game and is a welcome addition to Nintendo Switch Online.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this release of Star Fox Adventures on Nintendo Switch Online is that Nintendo hadn’t previously announced that it would be coming to the catalog. When GameCube titles were first confirmed for NSO last year, an initial slate of 11 games for the service were verified to be heading to the platform in the months and year to come. At this point, most of those games have now landed on Switch Online, but there is one remaining omission.

The game in question that still has yet to join this GameCube library is that of Pokemon Colosseum. The popular GameCube Pokemon entry was expected by many to launch in the early part of 2026, but instead, Nintendo chose to release Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness on its own. This has resulted in the addition of Colosseum to Switch Online taking quite a long time to come about, with Nintendo not providing any updates on when it may become available. In all likelihood, Pokemon Colosseum could still come to NSO before the end of 2026, but this sudden arrival of Star Fox Adventures on the service may have delayed its release even further.

As a reminder, GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online are locked behind the Expansion Pack tier of the subscription platform, which means subscribers will have to shell out a bit more money to play these titles. In addition, GameCube titles on NSO are exclusive to Switch 2, with those on the original Switch being unable to access these games.