GameCube games have been available on Nintendo’s Switch Online service for well over a year at this point (at least for those who subscribe to the Expansion Pack add-on). But despite the GameCube’s robust catalogue of terrific games, the Switch Online offerings remain slim. The service launched with three games: F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Soulcalibur 2.
Since then, as of this writing, those have been joined by just eight more. But many legit greats have been left in the cold, hopefully to join the lineup soon. Here are 10 essential GameCube games still missing from Switch Online, more than a year later.
For many of us, Animal Crossing on the GameCube was an introduction to a beloved series that newer fans wouldn’t discover until Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It invited us to move to a village populated by owls, lions, wolves, and other creatures. They became our neighbors, engaging in small talk as we completed tasks for them, fished, tracked down bugs, and earned bells to repay our debt to an enterprising raccoon named Tom Nook.
We shared the fun with people we knew, letting brothers and sisters, spouses and parents inhabit our shared fantasy world, all while hoping they wouldn’t chop down our trees. Later games have introduced more robust content and new events, but there’s still something special about that early release. How much fun might it be to finally return to the village where it all began?
Over the years, Monolith Soft has made a name for itself with the Xenosaga and Xenoblade franchises, as well as its support work on games in the Zelda series. However, it also experimented with other concepts early in its existence, starting with Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. The first game in the short-lived series introduced a hero named Kalas, who collects Magnus cards that allow him to survive combat when he’s not solving puzzles and exploring islands in the sky.
Namco published the game, and Bandai Namco launched the Baten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remaster compilation in September 2023. That’s not necessarily an impediment, because Nintendo has worked with the publisher to make other games available in the past. It might easily do so again.
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