Nintendo just released Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness on the Switch 2 GameCube library

Now live!/Gale of Darkness

Nintendo just released Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness for the Switch 2 GameCube library. We have known it was coming ever since Nintendo first launched the GameCube Nintendo Classics library alongside the Switch 2, and it confirmed it was releasing very soon during the 2026 Pokémon Day festivities, but it has finally arrived. 

Nintendo just took to its official social channels to announce that Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is now live on GameCube – Nintendo Classics. 

With Eevee as your companion, fight against an evil organization using Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, available now on #NintendoSwitch2 with GameCube – Nintendo Classics for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members.

We caught a quick glimpse of this one during the GameCube Nintendo Classics launch back in mid 2025 ahead of the Switch 2 release alongside Pokémon Colosseum. At the time there was no word on when either of the games would actually appear on the platform, but all of that changed last month when Nintendo confirmed Gale of Darkness would officially land on Switch 2 for Expansion Pack members this month.

There is still no word on a Pokémon Colosseum release window, but Gale of Darkness is now live. As a quick reminder, it is only available as part of the GameCube library, which is only available for Switch Online Expansion Pack members, which is, in turn, only available on Nintendo Switch 2. 

There does not appear to be the usual launch trailer up, but you can check out the release window trailer we got last month below:

Shadow Pokémon have reappeared in the Orre Region in this role-playing game, released for the Nintendo GameCube system in 2005. You are a young boy living at the Orre Region’s Pokémon HQ Lab with his mom and little sister who gets swept up in a grand adventure when an incident occurs at the lab. With your Aura Reader, which can detect Shadow Pokémon that have had the doors to their hearts shut, and the Snag Machine, which can capture Shadow Pokémon from evil Trainers, it’s up to you to save the world. Stand against evil and reopen the doors to the shut hearts of the Shadow Pokémon to restore them to their natural selves! (Please note that you will not be able to transfer Pokémon from Game Boy™ Advance titles to this title.)