Super Mario Sunshine Joins Nintendo Switch Online on August 13

Nintendo’s library strategy for Switch Online keeps expanding as the service’s retro tiers grow more specific—and this week’s announcements bring a major GameCube classic plus two long-missing Virtual Boy releases. Super Mario Sunshine is confirmed for Nintendo Switch Online on August 13, and Nintendo is also adding D-Hopper and Zero Racers to the Virtual Boy library on August 4.

Super Mario Sunshine confirmed for August 13

Nintendo has confirmed that Super Mario Sunshine will arrive on Nintendo Switch Online on August 13, 2026. The game was first revealed for the service during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event in April 2025, meaning the wait has stretched well beyond a typical add-on cycle.

As a GameCube title, Super Mario Sunshine won’t be available to every Switch Online subscriber. Nintendo’s requirement is specific: players need both a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription and ownership of a Nintendo Switch 2 to access the GameCube library content.

For longtime fans, the premise remains the same: Super Mario Sunshine tasks Mario with cleaning up Isle Delfino, using the F.L.U.D.D. water-shooting tool. The game originally launched in 2002 and received widespread critical acclaim at the time, with a Metacritic score of 92. Nintendo also previously brought it to Switch in 2020 through Super Mario 3D All-Stars, though that release was limited in availability.

How the GameCube Classics library is stacking up

Nintendo’s GameCube Classics push has been steadily building since its April 2025 reveal. The service’s GameCube library has grown to nine total games since that announcement.

Several titles landed early alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2. A month later, Super Mario Strikers joined, and by the end of 2025, Chibi-Robo, Luigi’s Mansion, and Wario World were also added.

In the most recent stretch, Nintendo’s additions slowed slightly—only two new entries were added over the last seven months: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. With Super Mario Sunshine now confirmed for August 13, the next update continues the pattern of major, well-known GameCube releases anchoring the library.

Two Virtual Boy games land on August 4

Alongside the Switch Online GameCube announcement, Nintendo also confirmed two additions to Switch Online’s Virtual Boy library. D-Hopper and Zero Racers are scheduled for August 4.

Both titles are described as fully completed games that never previously made it to the Virtual Boy console. D-Hopper—also known as Dragon Hopper—is presented as a top-down, Zelda-like adventure starring Dorin, a young dragon prince escaping a maze-like world called Faeron. Zero Racers shifts genres into fast-paced futuristic racing, positioned as being based on the F-Zero series.

Key points

• Super Mario Sunshine is confirmed for Nintendo Switch Online on August 13, 2026.
• Access requires Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack and a Nintendo Switch 2.
• The GameCube Classics library has reached nine games since April 2025’s reveal.
• Virtual Boy additions D-Hopper and Zero Racers arrive August 4.

Confirmed Switch Online retro additions

Expert View

This update signals two things for Nintendo’s retro strategy. First, the GameCube Classics rollout is clearly using marquee titles to maintain momentum, even if the cadence varies—Super Mario Sunshine’s arrival follows a quieter period with only two additions in the prior seven months. Second, Nintendo is treating Switch Online’s legacy tiers as a place to “finish the story” for unreleased history: the Virtual Boy library is receiving completed games that never reached the original hardware. For the community, that means Switch Online remains a living archive rather than a static catalog—raising expectations that more high-profile, previously missing releases could surface next.