I have been renewing my Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack every year mostly out of habit, if I am being honest. Most updates come and go without much reaction from me. This one made me sit up a bit. Nintendo just pushed one of the busiest content drops the service has seen in a long while, and it touches two very different corners of its history: the GameCube and, oddly enough, the Virtual Boy.
If you have been following Nintendo Switch Online news casually, here is the short version. Super Mario Sunshine is joining the GameCube Nintendo Classics library. Two Virtual Boy games that never made it to store shelves are finally playable. And Nintendo added a screen color option for Virtual Boy titles, which fixes a complaint that has followed that console since 1995. On top of all that, fresh sales numbers out of Japan and the UK show the Nintendo Switch 2 is having a genuinely strong year.
Let me walk through what is actually happening here, why it matters if you own a Switch 2, and where this might be heading next.
Super Mario Sunshine Finally Lands on GameCube Nintendo Classics
Starting August 13, Super Mario Sunshine becomes playable through the GameCube Nintendo Classics collection on Nintendo Switch 2. This is the first time the game has been available digitally since the limited run of Super Mario 3D All-Stars ended its sale window back in 2021. A lot of players missed that collection entirely, myself included at the time, so this feels like a second chance rather than a rerelease nobody asked for.
Super Mario Sunshine has always split opinion. Some players love the tropical setting and the FLUDD water pack mechanic. Others remember it as the hardest 3D Mario game to actually finish, thanks to some brutal platforming sections near the end. Either way, it holds a strange kind of respect among longtime Nintendo fans, and having it sit inside the same GameCube library as other classics gives Switch 2 owners a much more complete lineup than what launched with the console.
What makes this addition interesting from a service standpoint is that Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are currently waiting on the next wave of base tier games. Instead of leaving Expansion Pack members with nothing new, Nintendo gave premium subscribers something worth logging in for. That is a smart move, and it is the kind of pacing decision that keeps a subscription service feeling active instead of stagnant.
Two Unreleased Virtual Boy Games Are Playable for the First Time Ever
This is the part of the update that genuinely surprised me. On August 4, Nintendo added two Virtual Boy games that were never sold to the public: Dehopper and Zero Racers. Zero Racers is particularly notable because it was originally an F-Zero style racer in development before Nintendo canceled it after the Virtual Boy flopped commercially. That game has sat unfinished and unplayed for roughly three decades.
Letting people experience canceled software is rare for any major publisher. Most unreleased prototypes stay locked away in a vault somewhere, occasionally leaked in fragments by preservationists. Nintendo choosing to formally release these titles through Nintendo Switch Online is a meaningful shift, and honestly a bit out of character for a company that tightly controls its history.
Alongside the new games, Nintendo added a screen color customization option for Virtual Boy titles. Anyone who owned the original hardware remembers the red and black display, which caused eye strain for a lot of players during long sessions. That single visual limitation is often cited as one of the reasons the console failed in the first place. Being able to adjust the color palette now, even decades later, is a small fix that actually solves a real problem instead of just being a cosmetic option.
Why Nintendo Might Be Testing the Water With Virtual Boy
Nintendo has not confirmed how much of the Virtual Boy library will eventually make it to Nintendo Switch Online. A chunk of the original catalog involves licensed characters and outside intellectual property, which complicates rerelease rights. That is likely why this rollout has been slow and selective rather than a full library dump.
Still, the direction here is worth paying attention to. Nintendo has shown Virtual Boy games running on modern displays in promotional material, and combined with the new color settings, it is fair to wonder whether the company is quietly testing interest in a proper handheld or television friendly version of these games down the line. Nothing has been announced officially, so treat this as speculation rather than fact, but the signals are there if you know where to look.
What This Means for GameCube Fans Going Forward
With Super Mario Sunshine now confirmed, attention shifts to what comes next for the GameCube Nintendo Classics lineup. Several requested titles are still missing, Pokémon Colosseum being the most frequently mentioned by fans in online communities. Nintendo has not said whether it plans to publish a long term roadmap or continue announcing games one at a time, the same surprise style approach it used during the Nintendo 64 rollout on Switch Online.
Personally, I hope Nintendo leans toward more transparency here. Knowing even a rough schedule would help subscribers decide whether the Expansion Pack tier is worth the extra cost, especially for players who are only interested in a handful of specific games.
Splatoon Raiders Opens Strong in Japan
Away from the Nintendo Switch Online update, fresh physical sales figures out of Japan paint a solid picture for Nintendo’s current lineup. Splatoon Raiders, the single player spin off from the usually multiplayer focused franchise, sold around 474,000 physical copies in its opening weekend in Japan. That number does not include digital sales, so the real total is almost certainly higher.
For a spin off built around single player content in a series known for competitive online play, that is a strong debut. It suggests Nintendo can stretch the Splatoon brand beyond its usual format without losing its audience, something that was not guaranteed going in.
Mario Kart World Crosses 3 Million Physical Copies in Japan
Mario Kart World has now sold over 3 million physical copies in Japan alone. This figure includes bundled software, download cards, and units that came pre installed on early Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, though it does not count digital eShop purchases separately.
Given that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe eventually offered more than 90 playable tracks through its ongoing content updates, players are naturally hoping for similar long term support here. Industry chatter points to a possible major downloadable content wave arriving sometime in 2027, potentially bringing back classic Mario Kart courses alongside new ones. Nothing is confirmed by Nintendo yet, so this remains a rumor worth watching rather than a promise.
From what I have seen in my own circle of Switch 2 owners, Mario Kart World is quickly becoming the game people default to when friends come over, the same role Mario Kart 8 Deluxe played for years on the original Switch. Sustained content support would only strengthen that position.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Also Performs Well
Rounding out the strong software lineup, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream sold around 1.5 million copies in Japan. Combined with the Splatoon Raiders and Mario Kart World numbers, this shows Nintendo is not relying on a single genre to drive Switch 2 software sales. Racing, simulation, and single player action titles are all performing well simultaneously, which is a healthier sign for the platform than one breakout hit carrying everything.
Nintendo Switch 2 Passes GameCube Sales in the UK
On the hardware side, the Nintendo Switch 2 has already surpassed lifetime GameCube sales in the United Kingdom, despite being available for less than a year. Exact unit numbers were not disclosed publicly, but the pace is fast enough that industry analysts expect the console to overtake the Nintendo 64’s UK sales total as well in the near future.
That comparison says a lot about how far Nintendo’s hardware strategy has come. The hybrid design that started with the original Switch clearly continues to outperform the standalone home console model Nintendo used in the GameCube and N64 era, and the Switch 2 appears to be extending that trend rather than slowing it down.
Putting It All Together
Between the Nintendo Switch Online update, strong software sales across multiple genres, and hardware numbers that keep climbing, Nintendo is having a genuinely productive stretch. The Expansion Pack additions alone would have made for a solid update on their own. Pairing that with rediscovered Virtual Boy prototypes, a milestone Mario Kart World sales figure, and UK hardware numbers beating the GameCube makes this one of the more eventful weeks Nintendo has had in recent memory.
If you already pay for the Expansion Pack tier, this is a good time to open the app and see what is new. And if you have been on the fence about upgrading, the growing GameCube library combined with these strange little pieces of Virtual Boy history might be reason enough to finally make the jump.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Super Mario Sunshine release on Nintendo Switch Online?
Super Mario Sunshine joins the GameCube Nintendo Classics collection on August 13 for Nintendo Switch 2 owners with an Expansion Pack subscription.
What Virtual Boy games were added to Nintendo Switch Online?
Dehopper and Zero Racers were added on August 4. Zero Racers was originally an unreleased F-Zero style racer that Nintendo canceled decades ago.
Can I change the Virtual Boy screen colors on Nintendo Switch Online?
Yes, Nintendo added a screen color customization option alongside the new Virtual Boy game additions, addressing long standing complaints about the original red and black display.
How many copies has Mario Kart World sold?
Mario Kart World has sold over 3 million physical copies in Japan, including bundled and pre installed units.
Has the Nintendo Switch 2 outsold the GameCube?
Yes, in the United Kingdom, the Nintendo Switch 2 has already surpassed total GameCube sales in less than a year on the market.
Sources
Nintendo Switch Online official page
Famitsu Japan sales data
Nintendo Life news coverage
