Nintendo Switch Online Shadowdrops Another Classic GameCube Title

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers now have a new game to play, as Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has shadow dropped on the GameCube app for Switch 2. The sudden appearance of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance marked the first classic Nintendo title to launch on Nintendo Switch Online in 2026.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance comes one month after the Switch 2 saw the arrival of Wario World on the GameCube app. Originally released in Japan in April 2005, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was seen as a turning point for the Fire Emblem franchise. Path of Radiance was the first Fire Emblem title to launch on a Nintendo home console since Thracia 776 was released on the Super Famicom in Japan in 1999. Path of Radiance was also the first Fire Emblem game that had 3D graphics, fully rendered cutscenes, and voice acting as part of its main features. The game’s main protagonist, Ike, would later be featured in other Nintendo titles like Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance had a direct sequel called Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, which was released on the Wii in 2007.

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Fire Emblem Has Arrived on the GameCube App for Switch Online

Now, 20 years after Path of Radiance was originally released, one of Fire Emblem‘s more popular titles has arrived for a new audience to enjoy. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is the eighth GameCube title to arrive on the Nintendo Switch Online service, and is now available for subscribers. Like other GameCube titles on the Switch 2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance requires an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription along with the Expansion Pack upgrade. Users must also ensure the Nintendo GameCube: Nintendo Classics app for the Switch 2 has been updated, as Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance requires a short download before players can jump in.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance arrived nearly a year after another Fire Emblem title, The Sacred Stones, was launched on the Game Boy Advance app. Nintendo released a short trailer on social media that showed some gameplay from Path of Radiance. As of this writing, only the Japanese trailer has been made public, though an English trailer is expected to appear later. The trailer showed shots of Ike facing off against the mysterious Black Knight, one of Fire Emblem‘s most notorious antagonists, before panning to gameplay footage of one of Ike’s first battles as part of the Greil Mercenaries. Fire Emblem‘s traditional weapon triangle of swords, spears, and axes can be seen on the right side of the screen, along with Ike’s statistics. The trailer ends with Ike’s father, Greil, being struck down by the Black Knight, setting Ike off on his quest to avenge him.

GameCube Titles Available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack (January 8, 2026)

Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
F-Zero GX
Luigi’s Mansion
SoulCalibur 2
Super Mario Strikers
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Wario World

fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-is-coming-to-the-switch-2-in-2026-game-rant-adult-sothis

The arrival of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is just the first game to launch via Nintendo Switch Online in 2026, and is part of a busy year ahead for Nintendo. Although Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and Super Mario Sunshine were previously confirmed to launch on the GameCube app at some point, Nintendo has not confirmed when those titles would arrive. However, Nintendo’s plans for 2026 are already off to a fast start. January will see the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, alongside a Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade.

As for the rest of the Fire Emblem franchise, the popular turn-based strategy series has another chapter in development. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is expected to launch sometime in 2026, though a precise release date remains elusive. With Fortune’s Weave likely having ties to Fire Emblem: Three Houses by virtue of Sothis having a presence, time will tell what awaits Fire Emblem fans in the future.